Calgarians with allergies noticing more severe symptoms as pollen levels increase
Calgarians suffering from allergies can expect their symptoms to act up a little bit more than usual as an extra blast of pollen wafts its way into the city.
Pat Teodoro regularly walks in Prince’s Island Park and said she’s never experienced allergies until this year.
“They’re bad, I’ve never had allergies but now I have a lot of sneezing, runny nose, and even some coughing,” she said.
“I don’t know if the trees have more of that fluff on them or what.”
According to Aerobiology Research Laboratories (ARL) , a company that monitors the air in Calgary, the region is seeing more pollen by about 200 grains more per cubic metre compared to the same time last year.
“Overall total pollen for Calgary has been higher this year and it's just shifted about two to three weeks later in the year.” said Daniel Coates, the company’s director of business development.
“So you folks are actually having a pretty bad pollen season right now and your major culprit at this moment in time is pine. That's that yellow stuff that everybody's seeing on their cars and on the patio, furniture. Ironically, it's the only pollen type that can be seen to the naked eye.”
ARL has been manufacturing and using air samplers that collect pollen and spore samples from across Canada since 1992.
ARL has been manufacturing and using air samplers that collect pollen and spore samples from across Canada since 1992.
Coates added that Calgary still isn’t one of the highest producing pollen cities in Canada and ranks 22nd out of 30 cities monitored, but a trend of increasing pollen has been seen over the course of the last two decades.
“With global warming, we are seeing warmer temperatures over a longer period of time this summer and that is naturally going to lead to more pollen being released into the air,” he said.
“Other variables that need to be considered in cities include the planting of male trees, they’re messier than female trees that have flowers or fruits and release more pollen.”
The extra dusting of pollen has now led to an extra surge of calls to local pharmacies as allergy sufferers look for relief.
Mathieu Giroux, pharmacy licensee at Cambrian Pharmacy in northwest Calgary said his team has noticed an uptick for allergy product requests.
He noted that some of the symptoms for allergies can be quite similar to COVID-19, but there are some key differences.
“Usually COVID is going to have your body ache, you’ll get a fever or your sore throat which is quite normal with Omicron versus your allergy symptoms which are more like itchy nose, runny nose, itchy eyes, runny eyes, sneezing and a bit of congestion,” said Giroux.
“So some good options are antihistamines, none of them are really superior so it’s kind of just a bit of preference and trial and error, there’s some good cortisone nasal sprays as well if you have a lot of congestion as well.”
Some tips from experts like Coates and Giroux to help prevent allergies from acting up include keeping windows closed when indoors, changing your clothes after a long day outside, and wearing wraparound sunglasses to keep pollen out of your eyes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.