Itchy eyes, runny nose and your car never saying clean: It’s pollen season in the South

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s pollen season in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. The sights, smells and sounds define the first 2 to 3 months in the area.

However, there are experts in Jacksonville who are trying to help. Dr. Paul Radabaugh is a sinus specialist with the Jacksonville Sinus and Nasal Institute, and Dr Brian Seymore is a professor at Edward Waters University.

Dr. Seymore has been collecting pollen for 3 years and studying how it impacts our community.

“So, when we think of pollen season, we think of this community. This community suffers the most,” Seymore explained to Simma. “This community here is known as ‘Health Zone 1.’ It is the most urban area of Jacksonville, and we have the highest rate of asthma, allergy and hay fever in the community. It is concentrated here.”

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You can look at several different websites on your phone or your computer that all say different numbers for the amount of pollen that is in your city or neighborhood, but instruments like the one at EWU actually show the counts of pollen in your neighborhood and nearby. EWU is one of only 3 spots in the state of Florida that is certified by the National Allergy Bureau.

The instrument works like a clock. Pollen gets sucked into the can and gets caught on a piece of rotating tape. The tape is removed every week, and Seymore counts the individual pieces of pollen by hand using a microscope.

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Lots of people are moving to Florida every year. Sometimes, you can become allergic to pollen even if you haven’t been in the past.

“It may not be the first year you’re here. When you talk about allergens, it does take irritants and tends to be something you have to get sensitized to,” Dr. Radabaugh explained. “Or, it takes some time. It’s not usually the first time that you get this experience. It’s the second time that you get the blessing of a spring here in Jacksonville.”

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The work is tedious, but Seymore wants to expand his network of pollen instruments to more neighborhoods, so the community is better informed.

“This is why we want to work. We want to work on our system and work and collaborate with the medical professionals, hospitals and so on so that we can develop this early warning system and many other things we can do also with our data,” Seymore said.

Seymore said his goal, as well as the goal of EWU’s president, is to achieve health equality.

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