Agony continues for those suffering from allergies

Street dust will not get cleaned up before beginning of pollen season

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The spring's coughing and sniffling season is in full swing. Though some of those allergic to alder are already exhibiting symptomatic reactions especially in the southern and western parts of Finland, street dust still remains the greatest cause of inconvenience.
     
Street dust - which consists of sand, metal particles from studs of winter tyres, dust from asphalt, rubber, and brake pads, plus exhaust fumes - has become one of the biggest problems for city-dwellers in the springtime.
      Furthermore, street dust is no longer just a problem for those diagnosed with asthma or allergies. Though the allergic persons suffer most because of their oversensitive mucous membranes, even members of the general population may exhibit reactions to swirling street dust.
     
"Street dust can be a mere comfort issue, but for many people it is also a real health hazard", describes professor of allergology Tari Haahtela from the Helsinki University Central Hospital.
      This group includes pulmonary constriction patients, asthmatics, coronary disease patients, and many of the elderly. Street dust also contains poisonous components that - in the long run - may even cause cancer.
      And street dust is not just a problem out on the streets. It can also penetrate into buildings through ventilation systems and open windows.
     
The melting of snow marked the beginning of the street dust season. The dry spring has worsened the situation. Cleaning the streets is the only way to get rid of the problem.
      In Helsinki this is likely to take place no earlier than the middle of May. Elsewhere in the country, things should be appreciably cleaner by May Day. In places, calcium chloride has been used to bind and tie down street dust. This measure is only introduced once it is established that the air quality has weakened.
     
Haahtela recommends that the streets be cleaned before the beginning of the actual pollen season. For those with sensitive mucous membranes suffering from both street dust and pollen at the same time may prove intolerable.
      "In this case one plus one equals more than two."
      On the positive side, researcher Hanna Ranta of the Aerobiology Unit of the University of Turku believes that this year's pollen levels will stay relatively low.
      "The flowering of birches seems average south of the Lappeenranta-Pori axis, but below average north of the line", Ranta explains.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Poor air quality caused by cold weather, street dust, and exhaust fumes troubles Helsinki residents (17.3.2005)

Helsingin Sanomat