DeKalb County

Record high pollen counts causing allergies to flare

By Carl Willis and Sophia Choi, WSB-TV
By Carl Willis and Sophia Choi, WSB-TV

BROOKHAVEN, Ga. — The spring-like temperatures are causing a record amount of pollen in the air across the Atlanta metro.

Doctors say it's the most pollen we've seen in the month of February.

Monday's pollen count was 1289. A year ago, the same count was just 29.

“It seems like the pollen just started effecting me earlier and earlier,” allergy sufferer Eugene Chang told Channel 2’s Carl Willis.

Doctors say it's the most pollen we've seen in the month of February.

Allergy doctors say the metro has never seen a pollen count this high, this early in the year.

"I just get congested. I can't sleep that well. I can't breathe. Just try to stay indoors as much as possible," Chang said.

Willis found a few people braving the outdoors at Chastain Park Monday, including allergy sufferer Gloria Kantor.

The pollen count usually doesn't reach 1,000 until mid-March. But it's currently sitting at a February record of 1,289.

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“How have you been dealing with it?” Willis asked Kantor

"Drugs,” Kantor told Willis. “Just drinking a lot of water and antihistamines and just suffering through really."

Dr. Kevin Schaffer of the Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic said there's no telling when allergy season will begin or end, and rain and winter weather might make those symptoms worse.

"When people are exposed to pollen early on it primes them so repeated exposure is even worse. So even if we go through a cold snap or rain we will see get more pollen and people will be worse as a result,” Schaffer said.

Schaffer said seeing oak, the main culprits, in the count, as well as sweetgum. That tends to show up later in the year.

But already pollen has allergies flaring.

"Not going to see any relief until June or July. Not looking forward to that," Chang said.

Cox Media Group

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