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Health experts share why hay fever is worse in cities as Edinburgh hit with 'pollen-bomb'

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Vincent
Published date16 June 2022
On Thursday, the weather forecasters have marked that Edinburgh will experience high levels of pollen and while it will then ease for a couple of days, it returns to high levels on Sunday

There are three types of pollen that often sufferers' sinuses - tree pollen, weed pollen and grass pollen.

READ MORE- New COVID wave: Edinburgh expert shares how worried we should be about BA.4 and BA.5 strains

But in a built-up city like Edinburgh, many may wonder why they are feeling the irritating symptoms of hay fever without being near any greenery.

Edinburgh Live spoke to health experts to find out why so many of us in Edinburgh have been dealing with itchy eyes, scratchy throats and runny noses recently.

Robert Bradshaw, Pharmacist Manager and Lead Clinical Pharmacist at Oxford Online Pharmacy explained that the pollution that cities produce only make hay fever worse.

He explained: "Lower quality air (increased pollution) can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and in combination with pollen can make your symptoms worse.

"There is poorer air circulation and along with higher ozone levels this can cause further problems. Particulate pollution will trap the pollen near the ground where it is more easily breathed in making symptoms worse."

He added: "High temperatures and low wind speeds keeps the pollen near the ground and is always worse first thing in the morning and in the early evening."

Meanwhile, Dr. Tariq Mahmood, Medical Director at Concepto Diagnostic s, added that the weather can also have an impact on pollen levels.

Unlike parts of England, Scotland isn't set to have the heatwave. Temperatures are still set to be warm, reaching 20C on Monday June 20, but rain is forecasted for the Friday before.

And with a high pollen...

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