Allergy sufferers beware, tree pollen on the rise

By Mary Manning

Thursday, March 20, 2008 | 11:31 a.m.

For those suffering bouts of sneezing, coughing and itching, watery eyes, tree pollen flying through the Las Vegas Valley's air may be the culprit.

Mulberry tree pollen counts are high across the valley, the Clark County Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management reports today. Take heart, though, because they aren’t as bad as had been feared.

The yellow dust accumulating on parked vehicles and wafting through the air is coming from valley's pine trees, which are just starting to bloom, said Monty Symmonds, senior monitoring technician at the county's air quality division.

This year mulberry trees appeared ready to bloom last weekend, but a cold snap on Sunday nipped their caterpillar-shaped buds from producing, Symmonds said.

"I don't think we're going to see a big burst of pollen (from mulberry trees) this year," Symmonds said.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology's National Allergy Bureau considers 1,501 grains of tree pollen per cubic meter "very high."

The valley’s record mulberry pollen count came on March 17, 1997, when 59,681 grains per cubic meter of air were counted at a monitor posted at Griffith Elementary School near the Meadows Mall at Valley View Boulevard and Alta Drive.

In contrast, the Griffith site measured 15,955 grains per cubic meter on Tuesday. The Griffith School area tends to have high mulberry pollen counts because it is in an older Las Vegas neighborhood where the trees are larger and produce more pollen, Symmonds said.

After mulberry and pine pollen, allergy sufferers run the gauntlet from olive trees in April through a myriad grasses during summer and fall.

To avoid exposure to pollen, keep windows and doors closed at home and in the car, run air conditioning, change air conditioner filters and shower after coming in from outdoors.

For more air quality information go to: www.accessclarkcounty.com and click on “County Services.”