'Mega-tsunami of pollen': What caused it?

Bill Sciarappa went outside on a recent morning and got hammered by pollen.

"I generally don't get hit that much, and yet I'm taking a one-a-day" pill for allergies, said Sciarappa, Monmouth County agricultural agent with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

"You get itchy, watery eyes, nasal congestion," he said. "I walked outside and started coughing just from this burst of pollen in the air."

Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents suffer from hay fever, and this season is shaping up to be one of the worst in years. The late spring has compressed the season, and there's been little rain to wash the pollen out of the air, according to experts.

Sciarappa said "the tree pollen is very large and very obvious, and that does affect people, sure. The wild bluegrass and other turf grasses are blooming as well, so that's really contributing to this mega-tsunami of pollen."

"It's off the charts," he said. "It's just the way the bloom period worked out," with several different species blooming at once.

High pollen count

Last Thursday, the tree pollen count was very high — 4,852 grains per cubic meter, according to nynjpollen.com. Grass, mold, weed and ragweed counts were absent.

Very high pollen levels — greater than 1,500 grains per cubic meter — tend to affect most people who suffer from the pollen types that are in season. Symptoms may become more severe during days with high pollen levels, according to the website.

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, roughly 7.8 percent of people 18 and over in the U.S. have hay fever.

All told, 35 million Americans suffer from hay fever, which stems from pollen released into the air by trees, plants and grasses.

If pollen is inhaled by someone with allergies, the person's immune system mistakenly kicks in to fight what it perceives as foreign antibodies. As a result, the immune system releases histamines into the blood, causing sniffling, sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose and other common allergy symptoms.

The misery of allergy sufferers rises with the pollen count, according to the state Department of Health.

Hay fever also triggers asthma attacks, and if your allergy symptoms become increasingly severe, be sure to contact your physician to see if you're at greater risk of getting asthma or an asthma attack, according to the department.

'Intense' days

Dr. Catherine A. Monteleone, professor of medicine in the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Disease at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, said this hay fever season has been worse than many.

It's a "bad season because it started late, so everything's been opening in a more compact amount of time," Monteleone said. "We've had some intense pollen days lately, and they've been dry and windy, so it makes it bad. When it's dry, pollen spreads more."

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, roughly half of New Jersey is abnormally dry.

Sciarappa said this season is shaping up to be the worst spring allergy season in years.

"We'll see how long it lasts," he said.

Spring has been "very late … and we're catching up rapidly," he said. "We're about two to three weeks behind, so it's going to be a compacted, compressed spring season."

Todd B. Bates: 732-643-4237; tbates@gannettnj.com

FIGHTING SEASONAL ALLERGY SYMPTOMS

•Minimize outdoor activity when pollen counts are high. Peak pollen times are usually between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

•Shut windows in your house on days when pollen counts are high. Avoid using window fans that may draw pollen inside. Vacuum at least twice a week. Shut car windows.

•Dry laundry indoors. Sheets hanging on an outside line are an easy target for blowing pollen.

•When mowing the lawn or gardening, wear a filter mask.

•Take a shower, wash your hair and change your clothes after you go outside.

•Take over-the-counter antihistamines, decongestants, nasal spray or eye drops.

•If these actions do not help, people with allergy symptoms should consult a physician to see if they need to see a specialist or need prescription-strength medicine.

Source: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital;

STARx Allergy and Asthma Center LLC;

N.J. Department of Health; Dr. Catherine A. Monteleone