Chalonnais. Pollen concentrations are very high, beware of allergies
The map of Chalonnais is bright red. A pollen alert has been triggered. The Atmo Bourgogne Franche-Comté station on Rue Jacques-Thénard in Chalon ( see elsewhere ) has recorded very high pollen concentrations in recent days.
"It's like a vacuum cleaner," explains Élise Darlay, communications manager at Atmo and pollen analyst. "It 'sucks in' 10 liters of air per minute and can detect pollen up to 40 km away."
And what she's picking up right now is an explosion in the number of grass pollens, the tall grasses that we see growing everywhere in fields and gardens.
"Among the grasses, we find common herbaceous species. There are 10,000 of them," the analyst continues. "They can be wild, ornamental, but they are also found in cultivated fields. Oats, wheat, and corn, for example, are among them."
The pollination phase of trees, "especially beeches, ash, birch, and hornbeams," is over, and so we've moved on to grasses. "There's still conifer pollen, the kind you see on cars, the little yellow dust," explains Élise Darlay. "But allergies, what we commonly call hay fever, are caused mainly by grasses."
Among the grasses, we find common herbaceous species. There are 10,000 of them. They can be wild or ornamental, but they are also found in cultivated fields. Oats, wheat, and corn, for example, are among them. Photo by Renaud Lambolez
And unfortunately for sensitive individuals, the pressure isn't about to ease anytime soon. "This will last well into late spring and early summer. Pollen levels will drop starting in July," the analyst continues.
Nearly a third of French people are now affected by pollen allergies. This figure continues to rise: rising temperatures, the proliferation of new allergenic species, longer pollen seasons... This explains the increase in the number of people affected. "The rain offers a little respite by sticking the pollen to the ground. But this can last for several months. Because after the grasses, we move on, at the end of August, to ragweed pollen until the end of September, beginning of October. We are not necessarily allergic to several pollens, but it can happen."
▶ Reaction
You are not born allergic, you become allergic, and it takes 7 years to realize it.
Élise Darlay, communications officer at Atmo and pollen analyst
"If you know you're allergic, following your treatment properly is enough to avoid the unpleasantness of allergies. Otherwise, you have to remember that pollen allergy is like a cold that won't go away," assures Élise Darlay. "You're not born allergic, you become allergic; it takes about 7 years before you realize you're allergic. If, from one year to the next, at this time of year, you have a runny nose and itchy eyes, and it was the same thing the year before, you might need to get tested."
"To be less affected, you can, as a first step, wear sunglasses and masks," continues the Atmo analyst. "A hat can also be useful, because pollen sticks to your hair."
"Besides," she continues, "when you get home, you should change your clothes and rinse your hair. This will prevent pollen from spreading throughout the home. You can air your home, but do it at the end of the day. You should also avoid drying your laundry outside and leave the lawnmower chore to someone else."
One of the two stations in Bourgogne Franche-Comté installed on the rooftops of Chalon
The Bourgogne Franche-Comté region has two air pollen analysis stations: in Montbéliard and Chalon-sur-Saône.
The Chalon station is managed by Atmo under an agreement with the Grand Chalon district. The device is installed on the roof of the latter's environmental center on Rue Thénard.
"It sucks in the air that passes through, and the pollen that gets inside ends up attached to an adhesive strip," explains David Thomas, an analyst and technician at Atmo in Chalon. "We change the strip every week. The one we collect is cut into seven, for each day of the week."
Established for around twenty yearsThe pieces of tape are then passed under a microscope, and the pollens appear under the influence of a pink dye.
"We recognize around a hundred pollens," explains David Thomas. "So we know what's there, but also their concentration. The results are then sent to Georgia Dalampira, an allergist in Chalon, who analyzes and then publishes situation reports for Atmo. We rely on statistical models that create maps with the current pollen risk."
The station has been installed in Chalon for about twenty years. Before arriving on Rue Thénard, it was on the roof of the Espace des Arts. "It's well-placed, at the interface between the urban area and the countryside. The fact that it's high up means it's not influenced by trees."
Le Journal de Saône-et-Loire
