Ten questions about pollen and symptom load and the need for indoor measurements in built environment

Abstract

Pollen are an important component of outdoor and indoor air. Especially in the perspective of the importance of allergens and pollutants and as a consequence their impact on health, they must be included in air quality assessments. The assessment of pollen concentrations is an important pillar for pollen information and research. Pollen concentrations are point measurements and provide information about the local content of the air. However, there are pitfalls. They range from methodical (measurement device, preparation) over practical (identification) to general (variable significance depending on the topology of a location) deficiencies. Above all it is necessary to deepen the knowledge about the direct impact of pollen concentrations on pollen allergy sufferers. For this purpose a pollen diary (Patient's Hayfever Diary) was developed to create a pool for symptom data. The symptom load (index) is based on this data pool and meets the desire for personalized pollen information. General pollen information should consider that routine measurements are taken out outdoors and not in built environment, where pollen allergy sufferers spend their time as well. Therefore measurements of the indoor burden caused by airborne allergens should be regarded in forecasting besides a tighter connection of pollen with symptom datasets that will lead us on the road to a real symptom forecast with the aim of forecasting the severity allergy symptoms.