FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday,  March 8,  2007

Contact: Ron Smolinski, Public Information Officer
Phone: (702) 455-1618
Cell: (702) 280-5592
E-mail: smolinski@co.clark.nv.us 

Pollen Season Here Again

Low Levels of Mulberry Pollen Seen at Monitoring Sites

Pollen season is already here, and if your allergy symptoms haven’t started yet, they certainly will in the next two to three weeks.

“I’m seeing mulberry pollen in low to low moderate numbers at this point,” said Monte Symmonds, senior monitoring technician with Clark County’s Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management. “I’m sure we’ll start seeing high numbers for mulberry pollen next week.”

            Pollen from ash and cedar trees is becoming airborne now, and mulberry trees are expected to be in full bloom this week. Mulberry trees, in particular, can trigger hay fever and asthma symptoms, including stuffy noses, runny eyes and coughing. The worst of the mulberry season will be over by the end of March just as olive trees start to bloom. Olive trees are another major source of aggravation for allergy sufferers, officials say.

Pollen counts from different trees and plants tend to start climbing in March. The season is usually over in May. This year air quality officials expect pollen season to end early to mid-May.

“Mulberry and olive trees tend to produce the most pollen during allergy season, but grass, weeds and other types of trees also are culprits” Symmonds said.

From March through May, Air Quality staff double pollen collection efforts from once to twice a week at 10 monitoring stations located throughout the Las Vegas Valley. The samples are then processed in the department’s lab at the DAQEM Meade facility. During the spring season, pollen count reports are updated usually on Wednesdays and Fridays. Each report is posted on the county’s website at www.accessclarkcounty.com. From the home page, go to the Air Quality Department’s monitoring section. Pollen data is listed under “Recent Pollen Report.”  Pollen counts and air quality reports also are recorded once a day, Monday through Friday, on the following telephone number: 385-4613.                                                           

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Editor’s Note : Arrangements can be made for media to ride along with an Air Quality field technician as part of news stories showing how pollen samples are collected and processed.