The pollen count in Islamabad was at its highest in history at 82,546 particles per cubic metre of air (PPCM).
According to the Met Office, during the last 24 hours, pollen reached the highest level in history and the amount of pollen recorded in Islamabad was 48,546 particles per cubic metre.
According to the Meteorological Department, prior to this, the highest amount of pollen was recorded in 2005 at 48,080 cubic meters, while in 2021, the amount of pollen was recorded at 47,695 cubic metres.
According to the Meteorological Department, if the amount of pollen per cubic metre is recorded at 1-114, then it is called a low pollen rate. If the amount of pollen reaches 15-89 per cubic metre, then it is average, if it is recorded at 90-1499, it is considered high and if the quantity of pollen exceeds 1500 per cubic meter, it is considered the highest level.
The Met Office said that devices have been installed in Sector H-8, Sector E-8, Sector F-10 and Sector G-6 to monitor the amount of pollen in Islamabad.
According to the Meteorological Department, the amount of pollen per cubic meter was recorded at 48,546 in Sector H-8 in the last 24 hours. The highest share of record pollen in Sector H-8 was 48,477.
According to the Meteorological Department, with the onset of spring, the pollen season begins in the first week of March and ends in mid-April after reaching a high point in late March. It said that pollen is spread by eight species of plants, paper mulberry, acacia, eucalyptus, pine, grease, cannabis, dandelion and Alternaria. The Meteorological Department says that the pollen produced from paper mulberry has about 97 per cent of the share of these eight plants.
Health experts have warned that the increase in pollen levels can be dangerous for respiratory, asthma, diabetic and high blood pressure patients. They said that people get flu vaccines, use masks, wash hands frequently and keep a distance from flu patients.
PIMS head of the Department of Multiple Diseases Dr Naseem Akhtar while talking about the effects of pollen on human health said that an increase in pollen level can be dangerous for asthma, diabetes, and high blood pressure patients.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2022.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ