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Ed Yeates ReportingWalking on grass these days may not only tickle the feet, but your nose as well. The late season high pollen count for grasses has everyone baffled, especially since we're almost to the middle of September.
Fields of green are wonderful, unless you're allergic to grass. That's because grass pollen is much more potent than tree pollen. In fact, a grass pollen count in the twenty to thirty grains per cubic meter is much worse than a tree pollen count in the hundreds, even thousands. Even though it's late in the year, the grass count lately has been peaking out in the hundreds.
Alan Bitner, M.D., Intermountain Allergy and Asthma Clinic: "I have patients who come in now this time of year and they're just grass allergic. And they say, ‘What's going on - ya, you know, I thought grass season was June.'"
That's what happened to Susan Lacy. Within an hour after cutting her lawn, the reaction hit hard.
Susan Lacy, Allergy Victim: "It was terrible. It was miserable. My eyes were so red and itchy, I could hardly see out of ‘em. And it was like that most of the night until I took something this morning. And it's actually not a whole lot better. It's still running. I'm still sneezing."
So, let's say I was allergic to grass which should have been an issue in June. But it's still coming on strong. And I'm also allergic to sagebrush and also ragweed. I'm getting a triple hit right now.
Dr. Alan Bitner says allergy experts are not quite sure why the grass count has held on strong for so long. Maybe that will change with the weather this weekend.
Intermountain Allergy and Asthma Clinic is currently conducting allergy research. It includes financial compensation to volunteers, along with free exams and medications.
