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If you’re allergic to seasonal allergies, you may have been getting Reactine a little more than usual this year.
Pollen has appeared in the clouds of much of western Canada, accumulating in cars, roofs, roads and even beaches.
“It’s ridiculous. I haven’t seen it like this in a long time,” says Saige Liimatainen, who this year has severe allergy symptoms where he lives near Prince George, BC.
“Right now I’m sitting in my car and I’m looking at a good layer of pollen in the mirror. And it’s pretty bad. My allergies are pretty awful.”
High pollen counts, driven in part by last year’s heat dome, are causing drifts to form on beaches such as West Lake, near Prince George, BC (Saige Liimatainen)
How bad is that?
Pollen counts have been high in much of western Canada, according to Daniel Coates, director of Aerobiology Research Laboratories in Ontario.
The Ottawa Laboratory monitors pollen and spores across Canada to provide data and forecasts for a variety of trees, including oak, birch and pine.
“Right now, pine is growing in Edmonton and it’s been a long time coming,” Coates says.
In Saskatchewan, both Saskatoon and Regina have experienced high pollen rates this spring.
“This year’s pine pollen in Saskatoon is similar to last year’s. We’ve had a couple of days about 500 grains per cubic meter, which is very high,” he says.
According to Coates, the pine in Regina is worse than last year and has lasted from the end of May until now.
The root of this floating nuisance comes from the branches of conifers. The flowering of our trees is impressive, by many definitions, says Janice Cooke, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta.
“Fir trees in our urban neighborhoods are loaded like Christmas trees with all these cones,” he says.
“From time to time we have a confluence of developmental circumstances and meteorological circumstances. Everything aligns and we get a big bloom and we call that stick.”
This is the first time in a few years that we have experienced it, he says.
Heat is a driving factor
Cooke says the development of pollen from a tree works late. This means that this year’s flowering is determined by last year’s climate.
“We had a drought and we also had an extreme heat event last summer. Both things are very hard for the plants,” says Helen Shook, a research technician who runs GardenLine, a service company. free help from the University of Saskatchewan.
She says that sometimes the answer of a tree to these conditions is to go to excess in terms of reproduction.
“This is causing all sorts of things inside the plant. And one of those things is a survival mechanism. So we have to make babies, we have to make seeds.”
Cooke says our cooler spring has also affected pollen release. He says night frosts and cooler daytime temperatures delayed pollen removal.
“They’re all spilling at the same time. And that’s why we’re seeing this crazy amount of pollen in the air this year,” Cooke says.
While excess cones will not damage trees, they can affect growth. (Kirk Fraser / CBC)
Is it the fault of climate change?
The answer to that question is a bit complicated, according to Cooke. This is because many of these trees only produce large cone crops from time to time because they require a lot of resources.
“Even in conditions of climate change, where we may see these warm summers of warm summer temperatures more often, they will not always correspond to these massive crops,” he says.
And while stress on trees and high cone production can affect growth, Cooke says it’s not harmful for trees to grow so much pollen.
“It puts them in a bit of a deficit this season. But this season so far has been really conducive to tree growth,” he says.
People with allergies feel the impact
Of course, the other thing that’s growing is the irritation of people with seasonal allergies.
Dr. Ross Chang, an allergy specialist in Burnaby, BC, says patients appear to be experiencing more severe symptoms this season than last.
“Allergies are an overreaction of the immune system. We call it hyperreactivity,” says Chang, who was the former president of the BC Allergy and Immunology Society. “And in some people, other harmless things like pollen, dust, pets or food can trigger moderate or severe allergic reactions.”
Chang says anything from itchy eyes and water and runny nose to difficulty breathing like asthma can be caused by pollen counting like the one we’ve been seeing.
Pollen from Hudson’s Bay Mountain in Smithers, BC (Posted by Jim Oud)
According to Chang, about 20 per cent of people in Canada suffer from some form of seasonal air allergy.
“The important thing is that for people to know that there is help for people with allergies, you don’t have to suffer,” he says. ‘summer. activities “.
At the Ottawa Pollen Lab, Coates agrees that when you count, there are little things you can do to help.
“Go for a walk after it rains because the rain removes pollen from the air,” he says.
Even masking, wrapping sunglasses, or keeping pets out of furniture on bad pollen days can save you symptoms, according to Coates.
On very bad days, drastic measures can be applied, he adds.
“Just stay home.”
Our planet is changing. Our journalism too. This story is part of a CBC News initiative called “Our Changing Planet” to show and explain the effects of climate change. Keep up to date with the latest news on our Climate and Environment page.