Pollen concentrations inside private cars during the Poaceae andArtemisiaspp. pollen season – a case study

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Abstract
A growing number of studies are researching indoor air concentrations of pollen in buildings, but to our knowledge no studies have dealt with the precise concentration of pollen inside private cars. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of exposure to pollen in private cars throughout the Poaceae and Artemisia spp. pollen season. The study was conducted in the town of Lappeenranta and along Highway 6 in south‐east Finland between July 14 and August 17, 2003. The pollen concentrations were measured inside two moving and parked cars using rotorod‐type samplers. Surface and ambient Burkard samples were also collected. Both Poaceae and Artemisia spp. pollen were recorded only on one day and in low concentrations (3) inside moving and parked cars, whereas the concentrations of Betula spp. (0–15 vs. 0–12 pg/m3) and Pinus (0–41 vs. 0–80 pg/m3) ranged from low to moderate, respectively. The number of pollen grains on the inside surfaces of cars ranged from zero to 72 pg/cm2 during the measurement periods. The concentrations of Poaceae and Artemisia spp. pollen in the indoor air of the car during the flowering period were low, therefore, likely to cause reactions only in the most sensitive people. By contrast, even after the main flowering period the concentrations of Betula spp. pollen were on a level high enough to cause reactions in individuals with allergies.

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