Achoo! LR tree-pollen count highest in 9 years

LITTLE ROCK — Eyes watered and noses ran as a yellow-green cloud descended on Arkansas over the weekend.

Officials with the Little Rock Allergy and Asthma Clinical Research Center said that Tuesday marked the highest tree-pollen count recorded in a single day in the capital city since the group began measuring pollen in 2001.

The center is the only pollen-counting station in Arkansas that is certified through the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology’s National Allergy Bureau.

“As you saw over the weekend, and Monday and today, it just exploded,” said Dr. Deanna Ruddell, who works out of the center’s clinic in west Little Rock.

“When you stand outside, you can just think of all those little pollen grains coming into your nose and eyes and causing irritation.”

Michelle Gray, the center’s clinical research coordinator, said she counted 4,081 pollen grains per cubic meter of air Tuesday.

The previous high, counted on March 26, 2007, was 3,200 pollen grains per cubic meter of air.

The center uses a Burkard pollen and spore counter to estimate how much pollen is in the air. The unit, which collects pollen using a single rotating blade, sits three stories up atop the roof of the Arkansas Medical Society building.

The laboratory technicians have named the machine “Dorothy,” after the portable storm sensor in the 1996 movie Twister.

Gray said the pollen in the air this time of year comes from trees.

The Burkard counter noted 12 varieties of tree pollen Tuesday, including mulberry, sycamore, sweet gum and maple. The main culprits, however, were oak and pine trees, which accounted for a combined 3,552 pollen grains per cubic meter of air.

It’s the pine-tree pollen, specifically, that’s to blame for the yellow-green dust that caked many parts of Arkansas starting last week, Gray said.

Pine pollen grains are large and the only variety visible to the naked eye in Arkansas. Under a microscope, the grains look like Mickey Mouse silhouettes, with his round head and large ears, Gray said.

Allergic problems affect between 40 million and 50 million Americans, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology.

In Arkansas, tree pollen starts in January or February and runs through early June, Ruddell said.

Next, grass pollen will come, peaking during the summer months. Ragweed pollen hits closer to fall. And there’s mold in the air pretty much year round, Ruddell said.

“That’s why allergies can be so intense in Arkansas,” Ruddell said. “You can have the tree pollen giving you fits while there’s mold in the air, and the grass pollen is just starting to kick in.

“You can have multiple allergens affect you at the same time.”

Little Rock ranked as the 24th-worst city in the nation this year for spring allergy sufferers, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Little Rock ranked as the ninth-worst city in 2009 and 2008.

The rankings consider data on pollen counts in individual cities, the number of people reporting allergies, the amount of allergy medications prescribed and the volume of allergists working in the area.

Knoxville, Tenn., ranks as the worst city in the new 2010 report. Other Southern cities such as Louisville, Ky.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Jackson, Miss., are also in the top 10.

Angel Waldron, a spokesman for the foundation, said Tuesday that the group started compiling the list after allergy sufferers began asking where they could move to escape their debilitating symptoms.

“Unfortunately, from year to year, we see that depending on what season it is, you could have problems anywhere,” Waldron said.

Elisa Smith, a technician at Buice Drug Store in Little Rock, said Tuesday that she’s seen a flood of customers complaining of allergy symptoms.

“Oh definitely. Oh yeah,” she said. “Just runny noses, sneezing and a lot of coughing. And then your typical allergy-type watery eyes.”

She said over-the-counter allergy medications such as Zyrtec and Chlor-Trimeton have helped some people. Similar medications include Benadryl and Claritin.

Don Roe, owner of Razorback Car Wash in Benton, said Tuesday that business was booming.

But to Roe, the war against the nasty film of green gunk seems futile.

“With the wind, it’s blowing around like a cloud,” Roe said. “They get it back on there almost before they get home.”

The rain forecast for much of Arkansas today should bring relief, both for those worried about their noses and their cars.

“The rain settles it down and moistens it and takes away its airborne abilities,” Gray said.

“Temporarily. And then a new crop will come.”