Study Finds Pollen Raises Risk Of …

According to a study published by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Exposure to high concentrations of pollen in the air increases the risk of contracting COVID-19. This happens because high concentrations of pollen cause a weaker immune response in the airways and therefore can cause the onset of coughs and colds, which the researchers confirmed also occur with the new coronavirus.

The authors of the study recall that when a virus enters the body, infected cells usually release messenger proteins, and it happens with SARS-CoV-2.

Those are the proteins called interferons, whose antiviral properties cause neighboring cells to increase their defenses and “in addition, an appropriate inflammatory response is activated to fight the virus “, according to the study.

The authors found that if pollen concentrations are high and the grains are inhaled along with the viral particles, less interferons are generated with this ability. “The beneficial inflammatory response is also affected. Therefore, within a few days with high concentrations of pollen, it can lead to an increase in the number of respiratory diseases “, they add.

“It also works with covid-19. It doesn’t matter whether people are allergic to different types of pollen,” the report concludes.

For this study, a total of 154 researchers analyzed pollen data from 130 stations in 31 countries on five continents and found that the presence of pollen in the air can explain 44% of the variations in infection rates, and humidity and air temperature also play a role in some cases.

Researchers advise the use of masks that also filter pollen particles, especially people who belong to high risk groups.

“Wearing a particulate filter mask when pollen concentrations are high can prevent both the virus and pollen from entering the airways,” say the researchers, who also stress the importance of reporting this risk.

The study found that in cities where no measures were applied to control the covid-19 virus, the infection rate was higher also due to the increased proportion of pollen in the air.

On average, infection rates increased by 4 percent with every 100 grains of airborne pollen per cubic meter, so that in cities with concentrations of up to 500 pollen grains per cubic meter per day, the infection rate has increased by more than 20 percent.

In contrast, in areas where containment was applied, infection rates were halved compared to others with similar pollen concentrations.