Dossier
Hay fever and pollen
Hay fever is an allergic reaction that is caused by pollen from trees, grasses and herbaceous plants. When this pollen is dispersed by the wind, people with hay fever suffer from sneezing, red and itchy eyes and a stuffy nose.
Weather conditions determine when 'hay fever plants' flower and how much pollen they release into the atmosphere. Every year, the progression of hay fever symptoms can differ. The daily pollen concentration in the atmosphere in the Netherlands is measured by the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and Elkerliek Hospital in Helmond.
As part of the Nature’s Calendar observation programme, secondary school students and volunteers keep track of when various hay fever plants begin flowering. The students who conduct observations are also involved with the GLOBE Programme, an international education programme on the environmental sciences established in 1995 by Al Gore.
Knowledge about hay fever is limited
Ambrosia
One plant species that is known world-wide for causing hay fever symptoms is Ambrosia. This species, which is an exotic in the Netherlands, produces large amounts of strongly allergenic pollen. Moreover, the plant flowers late in the year, so the hay fever season for people who are sensitive to Ambrosia can be up to two months longer. Ambrosia originated from North America and has become widespread in the Netherlands because its seeds are unintentionally present in birdseed and wildflower mixtures. By removing plants before they begin flowering, nuisance from the pollen can be prevented, and the species is less likely to spread.
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Publications on hay fever and pollen
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Oil and gas platforms in the North Sea:Do they benefit commercial fish species and biodiversity?
Habitat: Dansk Zoologisk Selskabs eMagasin (2024), Volume: 28 - ISSN 1904-4585 - p. 70-77. -
Reflection on the Dutch points of interest regarding the proposed EU Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience
Wageningen: Wageningen University & Research -
PhD theses in a nutshell
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Zink in recirculerende teeltsystemen : Toepassing van een ‘selectief’ zinkmembraan
Wageningen: Wageningen Plant Research (Rapport / Stichting Wageningen Research, Wageningen Plant Research, Business unit Glastuinbouw WPR-1297) -
European Parliament votes for gene-edited crops: Plant scientists follow the debate with frustration
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Een sprong voorwaarts
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Altruism in bacteria
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Stikstofbeleid op de schop? Er is ruimte voor speling
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Wat te doen bij overlast door houtrook? En andere vragen over de regels voor hout stoken beantwoord
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How rice hidden by a woman fleeing slavery in the 1700s could help her descendants