As winter passes and spring blooms, the freezing cold and snowy weather should, with any luck, be behind us now. Although, spring does bring its own challenges, particularly for those who are allergic to pollen.

No escaping hay fever

The Technical University of Munich has found that the regional allergy season can be affected by plants hundreds of kilometres away. A research team from the university found that samples collected at pollen measuring stations in Bavaria were often found to be from plants that had not yet bloomed in the region. For example, birch pollen was collected at one measuring station at least 10 days before birch trees started to bloom in the area.

The researchers reported their data in a specialist journal called “Frontiers in Allergy.” They analysed data from three pollen measuring stations in Bavaria, studying 30 years’ worth of data for seven different types of pollen. A detailed study of five of the seven types of pollen revealed that 63 percent had travelled some distance. The study even found samples of pollen from plants that didn’t even exist in the region.

Bad news for people allergic to pollen

Annette Menzel, a professor of ecoclimatology at the university in Munich, warned that people with pollen allergies could suffer from additional stress due to the phenomenon and explained that the allergy season could last longer than normal.

Furthermore, experts are warning that climate change has already exacerbated the issue, as hotter temperatures allow plants to bloom earlier, and higher concentrations of carbon dioxide increase pollen production.