What Is the Pollen Index?
A pollen index is a general index, based on three factors, that measures pollen in the air. Allergy sufferers use the pollen index to judge their risks on a given day.
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Components
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The three factors of a pollen index are: the length of the pollen season; maximum aerial concentration; and actual concentration, caught on test slides.
Numbering
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The pollen index is expressed in numbers. Below 1 is excellent, 1 to 5 is good, 5 to 10 is fairly good, while above 10 poses risks to the allergy sufferer.
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Asthma
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Pollen is doubly dangerous to people with both asthma and allergies, as even a low pollen count can trigger an attack of asthma.
Pollen
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The word "pollen" is a broad term for the male gamete (or sperm cell) of all flowering plants (including sun flowers, dandelions, roses, apple trees and so on). Thus "hay fever" may not be caused by hay at all.
Agriculture
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The pollen index is also an important measure in the growth of olives; a high pollen count measured from flowers of the olive tree indicates a good growing season.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of B Balaji
