Dry conditions drive rising pollen levels
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — We got some rain, but it still hasn’t put a dent in our drought and that’s not great news for allergy sufferers.
Pine trees are some of the major producers of pollen in North Carolina. but now the next wave is coming in the form of grass and weed pollen which is yellow stuff that is in the puddles that remain from yesterday’s storms. The dry conditions tend to make pollen worse.
Chief Medical Officer for United Healthcare Brian Goldstein says things are about to get worse as temperatures surge.
“The smaller pollens that are harder or impossible to see, they’re the ones that have the best chance of sort of getting through the nose defenses right and into our airways to cause some of the symptoms that people have either with allergies or just from irritation from the pollen,” said Goldstein.
Goldstein, a pollen allergy sufferer himself says here are three things you can do to relieve symptoms.
- Wash clothes and shower after being outdoors
- Run air conditioner to clear pollen tracked in your home
- Use air filters to capture airborne pollen in your home
