Airborne Pollen – Are They Making You Sick?

Tampa, FL -- Pollen: It's on your house, on your doorstep, on your car, on your clothes, in the air, in your sinuses and in your home and workplace. When you stroll through your front door in the morning, does the yellow haze coating the porch send you leaping back into the house?  Is the pollen on the bottom of your shoes being brought inside each and every day?  The mere word "pollen" can make you start to sniffle, sneeze and reach for the tissue to blow your nose. 

Some studies suggest that these little fragments of misery have extreme inflammatory potential and can impair human respiratory and cardiovascular-related health.  For example, a study in the Netherlands uncovered a strong association between day-to-day variations in pollen concentrations and deaths from cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pneumonia.

2010 has been a monster of an allergy season.  The words "pollen" and "allergy" are among the top 10 trending topics on Twitter in U.S. cities.

Oak trees are the culprit in many places in the Southeast.  The trees produce 3,000 to 6,000 pollen particles per cubic meter; it only takes 10 particles to trigger an allergic reaction.  High winds in some areas also spread the misery.

In keeping with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 1997 recommendations, it is desirable to identify and remove common allergens and modify the home or office to reduce the level of ubiquitous (common) allergens.

Before one can remove allergens and/or pollutants effectively, it is essential to understand if they exist, what they are, and in what quantity. Two options consumers have are: Home Health Check, a professional IAQ survey of your home or business by an industrial hygienist, or the do-it-yourself IAQ Screen Check DIY product line and "Test Your Nest" Screen Check (TYNSC) is designed to sample the indoor air quality of your home identifying chemicals, formaldehyde, pollens, and molds, among other allergens.

The kits are available from Building Health Check (http://www.indoorairtest.com/), and at selected on-line retailers and distributors. As the nation's leading environmental testing laboratory, EDLab has added drop-off centers in throughout the US.  Call 1-800-422-7873 ext 404 for a more information on testing your air.

About Environmental Diagnostics Laboratory (EDLab):

Alan Wozniak founded Pure Air Control Services, Inc. in 1984 as a small mechanical contracting firm. Today is the industry standard for indoor environmental quality diagnosis, laboratory analysis and remediation. Pure Air has serviced more than 600 million square feet of indoor environments in over 10,000 facilities.

Pure Air Control Services nationally performed IAQ services include: Building Sciences Evaluation; Building Health Check; EDLab an AIHA accredited Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Environmental Project Management; and Mold Remediation Services, among other indoor environmental services.

The company’s expanding client roster includes: FAA, USACE, General Services Administration (GSA); Allstate Insurance; Carrier Air Conditioning; Naval Air Warfare Center, Orlando; and Naval Air Station - King's Bay, Georgia, Walt Disney World, and many other Fortune 500 companies, school boards, and city, state, and county governments, making Pure Air Control Services the reliable industry leader in IAQ.

For more information on IAQ Screen Check contact Chris Bower  ext (800) 422-7873  404 or EDLab, Pure Air Control Services, Inc. please contact Ed Ziegler, VP, at (800) 422-7873 x804, or visit www.pureaircontrols.com.