{"id":7761,"date":"2022-02-25T09:00:48","date_gmt":"2022-02-25T08:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.breeze-technologies.de\/?p=7761"},"modified":"2022-02-28T12:01:35","modified_gmt":"2022-02-28T11:01:35","slug":"how-to-measure-pollen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.breeze-technologies.de\/de\/blog\/how-to-measure-pollen\/","title":{"rendered":"How to measure pollen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pollen exposure is one cause of asthma attacks for people prone to them. Breathing in pollen can also cause certain other respiratory symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, and a runny nose. Climate changing is constantly shifting pollen levels, changing the pollen season and in turn affecting human health. We often get the question: Can pollen be measured with sensors in real time? What kind of measurement technologies exist? What can be done to avoid pollen during its peak? Read on more to find out.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

What is pollen?<\/span><\/h1>\n

Pollen is produced as part of the <\/span>reproductive process<\/span><\/a> of plants, specifically cone-bearing plants and flower-bearing plants. Cone-bearing plants produce pollen in pollen cores, while flower-bearing plants produce pollen in a section called anthers within the flower.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pollen grains have an adhering characteristic in order for insects visiting for nectar to pick them up and act as pollinators. Other methods of pollination include cross-pollination (pollen is carried to a flower of another plant to another species), self-pollination (a flower pollinates other flowers on the same plant), and wind pollination (release of pollen clouds into the air). Wind pollination is the main source of what causes all the allergy symptoms when the season peaks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pollen counts as particulate matter<\/a>, but most intact pollen grains are larger than 10 \u03bcm. Hence, their concentrations often don’t show in particulate matter levels such as PM2.5<\/sub> or PM10<\/sub>.<\/p>\n

What are the health effects of pollen?<\/span><\/h1>\n

Pollen is one of the possible triggers of <\/span>asthma<\/span><\/a> attacks. People with hay fever (\u2018allergic rhinitis) can have symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, and runny nose from breathing in pollen. Other individuals can also experience allergic conjunctivitis, causing red, watery, or itchy eyes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pollen also <\/span>interacts with the immune system<\/span><\/a>, particularly a certain number of cell types including:<\/span><\/p>\n