Pollen is a naturally occurring pollutant which effects about 10 % of the UK's population with Hay Fever.  Symptoms of Hay Fever include constantly itching and streaming eyes and nose.  About 30 % of Hay Fever sufferers also experience pollen asthma as a symptom.  Hay Fever can cause havoc with the domestic, social and working lives of sufferers, with more working days lost to the UK through Hay Fever than due to industrial injuries.

Not all Hay Fever sufferers are allergic to all different pollen types which is the reason why some people suffer symptoms all through the summer whilst others only at certain times.  The most common cause of Hay Fever is grass pollen which is released in large quantities on warm summer days.

As pollen is a natural pollutant the amounts released into the atmosphere cannot be controlled or regulated.  However, Hay Fever sufferers can gain a great advantage in the management of their symptoms if they are made aware of the daily pollen count.  This can enable them to plan ahead in their use of drugs and in their exposure to possible pollen sources.

Each year during the months of June and July, the Environmental Monitoring Team provide daily counts of the grass pollen levels measured in the Bath area.  Pollen monitoring is carried out at the Sports Centre.

This monitoring is carried out on behalf of the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit (NPARU) and is forms part of a network of 33 pollen monitoring sites across the UK.

Pollen is collected via a pollen trap (as shown above) located in as open an area as possible then analysed under the microscope to give the final count.  The grass pollen monitoring period this year can be seen below and shows comparisons with the average over the past 15 years.