Victoria braces for challenging grass pollen season, with extreme conditions on the way - ABC News
Victoria braces for challenging grass pollen season, with extreme conditions on the way - ABC News
Experts say Victoria's hayfever season could be worse than average, with high-to-extreme grass pollen levels expected from today.
I've stocked up on antihistimines and have been using my Nasonex daily for a while, so hopefully won't be too badly affected.
Already been dying for the past 3 weeks! If it gets any worse I'll have to look into those desensitivity procedures because V_V
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Victorians are being warned of a challenging year for hay fever and asthma sufferers, with the Melbourne Cup long weekend heralding at least a week of high-to-extreme pollen levels.
"As the weather warms up and the wind turns more westerly, grass pollen from Victoria's pasture lands can be brought into the city, aggravating respiratory allergies and asthma," he said.
Macquarie University environmental health scientist Paul Beggs has explained how even small increases in carbon dioxide levels can result in plants ramping up pollen production.
But streets full of London plane trees make walking and bike riding a misery for hay fever and asthma sufferers in spring, as their little fuzzy allergenic hair balls (also known as trichomes) float around on windy days.
City of Melbourne councillor, Rohan Leppert, who holds the environment portfolio, said although plane trees cause physical irritation for some, "medical research indicates grass pollen is by far the most common cause of hay fever in Victoria".
Allergist and clinical immunologist Professor Robyn O'Hehir told the Guardian in 2019 she tells patients to "wear wraparound sunglasses and avoid prominent plane tree areas such as street cafes in Carlton".
The original article contains 756 words, the summary contains 186 words. Saved 75%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Recently I got to experience the true power of a real allergy attack. I mowed a paddock of long grass that hadn't been touched in decades. Wearing a 95 mask and goggles but they were those workshop goggles with breather holes. Showered after but for the next 2 weeks it was the torments of the damned. Patches on my face, wrists, back of the neck, shins at top of my socks, anywhere straps or sleeves rubbed the dust into my skin, turned into suppurating landscapes of itch. Cetrizine slowly beat it back but I don't like to fiddle with my immune system. Next time I'll wear a Hazmat coverall like you do when stripping fibro off a building.