POLLEN OR POLLUTION?

In May and June each year, during the peak of the pollen season, Environment Canada receives numerous calls from citizens concerned about the yellow dust they see covering cars, floating on lakes and harbours, and seemingly blanketing their community.

Some people think that it is some sort of air pollution; others think they have discovered an oil spill. What they are encountering, however, is pollen.

Pollen is a natural substance. It consists of tiny grains which carry the male genetic material during pollination, the reproduction process of flowering and cone bearing plants. Most pollination is carried out by the wind and by insects transporting these specialized cells between plants.

Pollen is in the air year-round, but the concentration is highest during the growing season, from March to the killing frost in the fall. This fact is well known to the many Canadians with allergies who suffer through the annual hay fever season.

To the naked eye, pollen looks like tiny specks of yellow powder or dust. In fact, pollen grains have definite shapes and surface patterns, depending on the kind of plant that produced them.

In Atlantic Canada, the most prolific producers of pollen are the coniferous or evergreen trees. When wind conditions are right, usually in the latter part of May, the huge quantities of pollen produced by the evergreens are visible as a haze over the forest.

Total pollen production is generally influenced by the weather of the previous summer. A late spring frost or very wet weather during flowering can decrease the overall pollen yield for the following year.

The greatest amount of pollen is released between 8 a.m. and noon each day. In general, clear, hot, sunny and windy days send pollen counts soaring; while cool, humid and rainy days bring relief. A heavy dew or early morning showers will ground much of the pollen or delay its takeoff, decreasing the amount available for transport.

So, when you see yellow dust in the water, air or on your property, don't immediately call an Environment department official. The substance is most likely pollen, not an environmental emergency.

Some people think that it is some sort of air pollution; others think they have discovered an oil spill. What they are encountering, however; is pollen.

enviroFACTS is a series of fact sheets on environmental topics in the Atlantic provinces.

ANY QUESTIONS?

For more information about the series, contact:
Environmental Protection Branch
Environment Canada, 5th Floor
Queen Square, 45 Alderney Drive
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
B2Y 2N6

Phone: (902)426-5048
Fax: (902)426-3897
e-mail: Bill Ernst