Analysis of Pollen Concentrations from Various Tree Pollen Types and Their Interrelation with Different Airborne Pollutants in the Madrid Region (Spain)

Abstract

Several studies show that the interaction between airborne pollutants and pollen grains can lead to greater pollen allergenicity, and thus increase and exacerbate the incidence of pollinosis, all of which represents a major public health problem. This article analyses the possible influence of various airborne pollutants (O3, PM10 and PM2.5, NO2, CO and SO2) on the tree-type pollen grains of Cupressaceae, Olea, Platanus, Pinus, Ulmus and Populus. The 11 areas around the stations in the Madrid Region’s pollen monitoring network (Red Palinocam) were taken as a geographic reference for this study. The degree of interaction between airborne pollutants and pollen types was explored using the rank correlation analysis. O3 and NO2 are the pollutants with the highest rate of significant correlations with pollen types. Olea, Cupressaceae and Platanus—the most highly allergenic in this study—are among the pollen types with the greatest number of significant correlations with almost all the air pollutants in the different areas. This could point to a potential associative effect between both variables which would exacerbate the negative effects on public health.

Study of the Interrelations of the Concentrations of Six Tree Pollen Types and Six Atmospheric Pollutants with Rhinitis and Allergic Conjunctivitis in the Community of Madrid

“…Of the patients, 95% with positive skin tests against Poaceae pollen showed positive sensitivity to other types of pollen. Thus, it can be observed that three of the tree types included in this study are among the producers of pollens with the highest allergenic power, as already mentioned in another analysis [20]. It can be affirmed, because of this study, that although grass pollen seems to be, by far, the leading cause of pollinosis in the city of Madrid, pollen from tree species, specifically Olea, Platanus, and Cupressaceae, also has an essential allergenic power [14,18,21].…”

“…Pollen data have been supplied by the Palinocam Network of the Regional Ministry of Health of the CAM [20]. In 1992, the Regional Commission for the Prevention and Control of Asthma was created from the Regional Program of the same name to improve the quality of life of patients with asthma in the CAM and, to this end, it began to develop its activity in the form of 4 areas of work.…”

“…Another area of work is environmental surveillance, whose aim is to detect the evolution of atmospheric pollutants, to know the types of pollen and their distributions in time and space, and to disseminate these pollen data to allergists, pulmonologists, pediatricians, emergency services, primary care teams, and allergic patients [14]. The air pollutant data have been provided by the Air Quality Network of the Regional Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Sustainability of the CAM, and by the Air Quality Network of the Madrid City Council [20].…”

“…Thus, the Palinocam Network was conceived in such a way that, with its different sampling points, located in different environments and with complementary to each other, it would provide information on the levels of average pollen concentrations in the atmosphere in which the lives of the citizens of the CAM take place [19]. Thanks to the existence of the Network, it was possible to complete a study between 1994 and 1999 (which was analyzed in another study [20]), in which 18 types of pollen were included, selected-among the approximately 60 total identified-for their levels of presence in the atmosphere, as well as for their potential allergenic power. Among these 18 selected types are the 6 included in the present study.…”

Elm pollen concentrations in the atmospheric air of selected Polish cities in 2022

“…In recent years, increased allergenicity of plant pollen has been observed, which may be associated with many factors, e.g. air pollution [6]. Air pollutants can enhance the allergenic properties of pollen, especially in urban areas.…”