You usually see it as yellow dust on your car, but the scale of the yearly pine pollen release is causing havoc with sinuses across the country right now.

It is a major biological phenomenon in New Zealand – one to a very large extent that is completely man made.

 

A lot of pollen clouds we see at the moment had come from pines planted in the early part of last century.

Pine pollen also contains a compound called salicylates and quite a lot of people are very sensitive to these compounds.

The amount of pollen being released each year has been relatively stable for decades, but things are going to get worse, because increased CO2 in the atmosphere means more plant growth.

It’s a prospect that does not bode well for those of us who suffer from pollen allergies.

Quite a lot of people suffer out there, with terrible symptoms like extreme nasal congestion, runny eyes, some of us are quite debilitated by it.

The worst sufferers get brain fog because they get so blocked up with it.

Some overseas studies suggest that when exposed to warmer temperatures and higher levels of carbon dioxide, plants grow more vigorously and produce more pollen than they otherwise would.

While medication can be effective for extreme cases, staying indoors on windy spring days, especially in the morning when most plant species release their pollen, can also help sufferers.

It is also highly recommended keeping windows shut and using a ventilation system with an effective filter to make sure fresh air comes in, and the pollen stays out.

Anyone suffering from allergic reactions should seek advice from their GP, although we have to accept that avoiding pollen is quite hard.

Even if you live nowhere near a pine forest, this stuff really travels. We’re seeing it in the middle of cities miles from the nearest pine tree

Avoid going out in the morning and evening, when pollen dust is at its worse.

All of us involved in Air Condition and Heat Pump Services are already seeing many calls from people wanting ways to keep the pollen out.

Desperate pollen-sufferers want to know about air filtration.

Robin Stocker of Kapiti Air Con and Heat Pumps recommends you have your Air Conditioning filters professionally cleaned twice a year.

In addition, you may want to consider the new Daikin Air Purifier, which works perfect for filtering out nasty pollen from your air indoors.

Because it is a simple plug-in device it does not need installation, you can just order it from Robin and it gets delivered straight to your door.

You just plug it in, switch it on and it sucks the pollen out of your rooms.

If you’re suffering from Hayfever and the pollen is making your life miserable, give Robin a call now on 027 298 0041