Anyone who has been tormented by a pollen allergy for years knows how terribly irritating hay fever is. Constant sneezing, watery eyes and a snotty nose, yes, you don’t see anyone being happy about that. Have you also noticed that more and more people suffer from this seasonal allergy? This is the reason for it.
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Hay fever in the Netherlands
These are high numbers that you might not expect, but according to the RIVM, about fifteen to twenty percent of the Dutch population suffers from allergic complaints that resemble hay fever complaints. However, you can also attribute these complaints and symptoms to, for example, moths and dust mites.
Seasons
Hay fever usually occurs in the spring, provided you are allergic to pollen of course. In recent years our winters have become incredibly mild and ‘warm’, which means that flowers and plants have started blooming much earlier. Slowly, but surely. This is why people are more likely to suffer from allergies these days. According to the RIVM, the hay fever season now lasts much longer due to the high temperatures. In addition, air pollution also causes a lot of inconvenience to your lungs.
More people
Okay, so the hay fever season is lasting longer, but why are more people suffering from it now? Apparently this has everything to do with the fact that we are actually ‘too’ clean. The fact is, because we come into less contact with different types of microbes and bacteria, we are less immune to diseases or allergies such as pollen. We can never win.
Male trees
Always those men… (no joke of course). Yet another ‘problem’ for people with pollen allergies is that landscapers often prefer to place male trees. These do not produce fruits or seeds, so they require less maintenance. What they do have is the production of much more allergenic pollen. Yes, there you go: hatsjoe!
