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Experts: Allergy season to last another month despite rain

By Megan Rowe, The Spokesman-Review
Published: May 19, 2019, 8:16pm

Spokane — Spring flowers can get a bad rap when it comes to the season of itchy, watery eyes and exacerbated asthma, but biologists from Eastern Washington University and Washington State University say it’s mostly wind pollinators to blame for allergy season. Unfortunately, wind pollinators translate to trees and grass, so the outdoors will continue to be a minefield for allergy sufferers.

“For the most part, the things that people have in their yard, the beautiful flowers that we see, in terms of allergies those aren’t really drivers of allergies,” said Robin O’Quinn, EWU associate professor of biology. “Things that have big, bright, showy flowers are attracting animal pollinators for the most part.”

O’Quinn said some people do have specific flower-related allergies, but for most, it’s the pollen carried on the wind causing their symptoms.

By their very design, wind pollinators cause more problems, said Andrew McCubbin, associate professor of biological sciences at WSU.

“With insect-pollinated flowers, the insects do the job of carrying it to the same species so it’s a lot more efficient,” McCubbin said. “If you leave that open to wind, then you obviously have to put a heck of a lot of pollen out there for some of it get there to fertilize and make seed.”

This too shall pass. O’Quinn said residents should expect allergy season to continue through mid-June.

“There are so many different species of grass, and they don’t tend to bloom at the same time, so that extends the season,” O’Quinn said.

Dr. Michael Cruz, co-owner of Spokane Ear, Nose and Throat, said he advises his patients who suffer from seasonal allergies to start medication at Easter and stop at Halloween, adding that the end of the summer people will be hit with ragweed allergies.

Though pollen is a contributor, O’Quinn said it isn’t solely to blame for symptoms.

“The farmers are plowing at this time of year, too, and it releases a lot of dust,” O’Quinn said.

Every cloud has a silver lining, but in the case of allergies, the phrase can be taken literally: Less pollen is released on rainy days. The weather to look out for is dry weather, when the plants tend to release their pollen, and windy weather, when the pollen is rich in the air.

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