Oak pollen in the air of Poland in 2017

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the pollen season of oak in the cities of Bialystok, Bydgoszcz, Cracow, Katowice, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Lublin, Olsztyn, Opole, Szczecin, Warsaw, Wroclaw and Zielona Gora in 2017. Measurements were performed by the volumetric method (Hirst type pollen sampler). Seasonal Pollen Index (SPI) was estimated as the sum of daily average pollen concentrations in the given season. Pollen season was defined as the period in which 98% of the annual total catch occurred. The pollen season of oak started first in Szczecin, on the 1st April, and lasted till the end of May. At the latest pollen season ended in Olsztyn on the 1st June. However, in the most of other cities the season lasted till the end of May. The differences of pollen seasons duration were considerables from 28 to 56 days. The highest, record airborne concentration of 342 pollen grains/m3 was noted in Warsaw on the 17th May. The maximum values of seasonal pollen count occurred between of 11th and 20th May. The highest oak pollen allergen hazard occurred in 2017 in Piotrkow Trybunalski, Lublin and Warsaw.