Urgent call to ramp up pollen monitoring in SA

A spike in South Africa’s pollen production has been flagged by local scientists who are calling for an urgent expansion of the country’s pollen monitoring programme.

This year saw some of the highest recorded pollen counts in history which had cities from Europe to the US covered in clouds of pollen as a result of global warming.

Professor Jonny Peter, Head of the Allergy Unit at UCT’s Lung Institute, which is responsible for monitoring pollen in South Africa, said due to funding constraints, the unit had only been able to consistently track pollen in Cape Town for the last 30 years, while other parts of the country have been monitored sporadically.

“Given the rise in pollen production globally, it has now become crucial for us to keep a closer eye on pollen as seasons worsen. There are several factors related to climate change that fuel increases in allergens. These include carbon dioxide (CO2) and other heat-trapping gases that are causing the earth’s temperature to rise. This, in turn, increases the growth rate of plants and the amount and potency of pollen in the air. To sum it up, CO2 is like miracle fertiliser for pollen and we’re producing it at a rapid rate.

“Even if we stop building factories and power plants and stop driving petrol-/ diesel-powered vehicles, the earth’s temperature is on track to increase by at least 1,5 degrees C by mid-century, which will trigger more frequent pollen storms, as has already been witnessed this year,” he cautioned.

Scientists predict that pollen counts will quadruple in the next 20 to 30 years, making life unbearable for those with pollen sensitivities, and people who don’t normally have hay fever may become sufferers. Asthma attacks may also increase.

Professor Peter noted that it was only after a spate of asthma deaths and thousands of ER admissions in one 24-hour period as a result of a thunderstorm in the height of the pollen season in Melbourne three years ago, that countries started taking pollen monitoring more seriously.

Dilys Berman, an aerobiologist, concurs with Professor Peter and said grass pollen in Cape Town had already increased four-fold last Spring, after the 2015–2017 rain scarce winters – signalling a warning about times to come.

While there are numerous websites and apps that forecast pollen and fungal spores for South Africa, Professor Peters said these counts are inaccurate and are often extrapolated from overseas data with no bearing on South Africa.

For more information on pollen allergies, the UCT Lung Institute’s pollen monitoring programme and how to donate, visit https://www.pollencount.co.za.