By David S. Kerr

Published: May 7, 2008

Nature gave trees and grasses a problem to solve. Just like any other species, plants and trees need to share genetic information with one another to reproduce, but at the same time, unless we’re talking about a plant from a science fiction movie, they have a problem. They can’t move from place to place.

This makes mating, as the rest of us think of it, quite challenging. Even so, trees and plants have managed to work around this.  Trees, alas, produce massive volumes of pollen, which they send into the air, hoping it will land on a friendly tree of the same species. The fertilization is complete and the species will continue.

However, it’s not just trees that do this, but so do grasses. Just like the mighty oaks, they too, in proportion to their size, put out rather outrageous offerings of pollen into the atmosphere hoping, just like the big guys, that a piece of their pollen will land on another grass of the same species.

This is an elegant and amazingly effective system of reproduction. However, a side effect is that some of the humans, those of us in the middle of the process, particularly when pollination is at its height, have a rough time of it. My neighbors can always tell who is outside mowing the grass. Not from the distinctive sound of my new John Deere lawnmower, but rather, by the regular, often loud sneezes they hear every three to five minutes. Like thousands of people locally, I
I am allergic to pollen.

These allergies, for most people, are at worst a serious inconvenience, though there are some who have such a harsh reaction that they get seriously ill. For most of us, while it’s uncomfortable, it’s far from life threatening. Still, there is a whole industry that offers dozens of products, from nasal sprays to antihistamine pills, ready to at least temporarily relieve our discomfort. Most of them work surprisingly well. But, when the pollen gets bad enough, it seems like nothing on the shelves is strong enough to help.

The idea behind most of these remedies is that they counteract the body’s reaction to pollen. Pollen is an allergen. When it sets off our immune system our bodies immediately start producing histamine. That’s what causes the red eyes, the sneezing, and the headaches.  By blocking the histamine, at least for a while, we can get some temporary relief. Of course, these pills have their limits, and some can be a bit too strong. Take one or two, and I wouldn’t recommend doing any precise work, or, most importantly, any driving. The effect of some over-the-counter allergy medications can be so strong that it’s like having one or two beers.

Because our area is so lush and fertile, we have all sorts of allergens. Some people aren’t allergic to any of them, some are allergic to a few, and a few are allergic to just about everything. At the moment, the green dust that’s coating our cars is primarily from trees.  They produce pollen in April and May. Their season, thank goodness, is just about over.  However, ready to take their place are various grasses. For the most part, they keep on pollinating through most of the summer.

If you ever wonder why people react to pollen, just check out a microscopic view of some of these particles. They’re tiny, that’s true, but some look like those floating contact mines you see in old World War II movies. Spherical and covered with sharp points and in some cases even hooks. No wonder some people sneeze when they inhale one of them.

The National Weather Service regularly counts pollen in the atmosphere and measures it as the number of particles in a square meter of atmosphere. At this writing the pollen count is in the medium to high range. That’s an improvement but still means there are about 250 particles of pollen in every square meter of air. When it gets too high, which has already happened this year, the number skyrockets to several thousand — a lot of pollen.

Some people’s response is to head for the indoors. They turn on the air conditioner and like a thunderstorm, wait it out. Others try a mask when they’re doing yard work. Neither really works for me. I like the outdoors too much. The best I can do is spend a fortune on the drug store’s antihistamines, and, hope my neighbors don’t mind my sneezing too much.

David S. Kerr is an Aquia resident and a former member of the Stafford County School Board. Contact him at info@stafford countysun.com.