Very high pollen levels and hot weather are making hay fever sufferers uncomfortable across the country, with the Met Office saying climate change could make pollen seasons longer and more extreme.
Weekly visitors to the site’s hay fever advice pages have tripled in the past five weeks, according to NHS England, with 27,834 hits in 24 hours on Sunday – one every three seconds. On Friday, the Met Office put 12 areas of the UK, covering England, Wales and most of Scotland, on red alert for “very high” pollen levels.
“We’re seeing a lot of high-number days because the weather is very suitable for grass pollen emissions,” said Dr Beverley Adams-Groom, senior palynologist at the University of Worcester, who co-leads the UK’s Pollen Forecasting Program with Met office.
Adams-Groom said this year’s pollen count was about average, but added: “The problem for hay fever sufferers is not so much the size of the pollen count, as anything over 50 pollen grains per cubic meter of air is problematic for the majority , it’s been more of a steady onslaught of strong days due to near continuous good weather in many regions since the season started in late May/early June.”
If the hot weather continues into next week, the grasses will be depleted more quickly, offering some respite for people with hay fever, she said. “I’m already seeing some evidence that this is happening, with the grasses coming through very quickly.”
Typically, the grass pollen season that causes most allergies runs from mid-May through July, while the weed pollen season typically spans late June through September. The pollen forecast from the Met Office shows some areas are getting a double whammy.
Symptoms of hay fever include sneezing, coughing, a runny or stuffy nose, and red, itchy or watery eyes. Sufferers may also experience headaches, earaches or lose their sense of smell.
Scientists predict that as global warming causes a higher incidence of hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters in the UK, the seasonal pattern of pollen may change. “There is a growing scientific consensus that climate change will affect the pollen season in the UK. This could lead to longer pollen seasons,” a Met Office spokesman said.
Urban areas tend to have lower pollen counts than the countryside, but research also shows that people in urban areas experience more severe symptoms as pollution can exacerbate the body’s reaction.
Prof Sheena Cruikshank, an immunologist at the University of Manchester, who carried out the research, said: “Pollution can damage the protective barriers in our nose and airways, so we’re more likely to get things in. We see that pollution can have an effect on the immune system… and can narrow the airways and make breathing difficult.