NORFOLK, Va. — It's pollen season and cars, sidewalks, and everything else is covered in yellow, a sign of spring in Hampton Roads. But if your eyes are itching and your nose running, don’t blame the pollen you see. That yellow pollen is from pine trees, and pine allergies are rather uncommon. And it’s the visibility of that pollen that’s a clue.
Humans can usually see anything larger than 50 micrometers, or microns. Pine pollen is large, usually around 60 to 90 microns, which is pretty large. In fact, it's too large for an individual pollen grain to go too far up your nose.
Oak trees, however, along with other flowers, produce smaller pollen, on the order of 24 to 38 microns. That's too small for us to see but small enough to get into your respiratory system and cause you to sniffle and sneeze.
Add to that the fact that Hampton Roads is one of the most allergy-challenging cities to live in! Recently, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America named Virginia Beach as the second worst city to live in if you suffer from allergies.
The only thing that can get rid of all this pollen? Rain and time.
