DATE: Thursday, April 10, 1997              TAG: 9704100380

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   87 lines

ACHOO! IT'S TREE-POLLEN SEASON IN HAMPTON ROADS, AND IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG ONE, ALLERGISTS SAY.

Yellow cars. Yellow driveways. Yellow sneakers crunching through blades of yellow-coated grass.

It's tree-pollen season in Hampton Roads, as evidenced by the yellow-green particles clinging to just about everything outdoors.

If you think the pollen problem looks particularly menacing this year, you're right.

Not because there's so much of it, said Dr. Alpha Diallo, laboratory director for the Norfolk Department of Public Health, but because it arrived so early.

The yellow pollen from pine trees is the most visible sign of trouble in the air, but the main culprits are other types of tree pollen too small to see.

The health department measures pollen levels for all of Hampton Roads by placing a slide the size of a quarter on a special outdoor platform in a Norfolk industrial park - roughly in the center of the city, Diallo said.

The slide is protected from rain but exposed to wind; its surface is coated with petroleum jelly to catch pollen floating in the air.

Using a microscope back in the lab, a technician counts the particles daily. Once a week, the department issues a report to area allergists.

This week's report, to be issued Friday, is expected to show average daily levels topping 700 particles per square centimeter, Diallo said. A week ago, the tally was 498. At this time last year, it was 34, Diallo said.

Maybe your nose already knows.

Average levels of 700 normally are not seen before late April, he said. More rainfall and varied temperatures since January caused trees to blossom early - around mid-February.

So people allergic to tree pollen will suffer a little bit longer this year.

The symptoms - sneezing, runny nose and itchy, watery eyes are sending many sufferers in search of relief.

Dr. T.V. Pangalos, a Norfolk allergist, said he's seeing up to 40 patients a day, compared with his usual roster of about 25.

Pangalos, who has practiced medicine for 34 years, said he's seen the season begin this early only two or three times in his career.

Sufferers often blame pine pollen for their misery, he said.

``Most people, when they see the yellowish-greenish blanket, they think it's the pine they're allergic to.''

Most often, it's not.

Pine pollen generally is too large to invade our bodies, Pangalos said.

Other microscopic tree pollen - from oaks, maples, birches, cedars, pecans - causes the most trouble, said Dr. Robert Radin, a Virginia Beach allergist.

These tiny particles easily enter our bodies and, in people who are sensitive, aggravate mast cells in the bloodstream, Pangalos said. The cells break apart and make histamine, which causes the familiar symptoms.

How can we spell relief?

I-N-D-O-O-R-S.

Avoid yard work for the next two or three weeks, the height of the season, Pangalos said.

Or, wear a disposable surgical mask when mowing, raking or gardening.

Midday, when fewer pollen particles are floating about, is the best time to be outdoors, he said. Use air conditioning indoors and in cars.

Try an over-the-counter antihistamine pill to tame symptoms, Radin and Pangalos said.

They recommended avoiding nasal sprays containing antihistamines, which can irritate the nose and cause a ``rebound phenomenon'' that requires continued use.

A new nonprescription nasal spray, called Nasalcrom, blocks allergic reaction but does not contain an antihistamine, they said.

If over-the-counter medications fail, an allergy specialist can prescribe more potent remedies, or allergy shots.

The latter, Radin said, usually are the last line of defense. They work by helping the body build an immunity to the allergen.

Don't expect this week's cool spell to banish pollen or your symptoms, Pangalos said. That's because trees already are in bloom. Rain, however, temporarily dampens pollen's power.

Tree-pollen season should end by early May, he said.

But lest you breathe a sigh of relief along with some nice, fresh outdoor air, know this: Grass pollen peaks in mid-May and continues through June or July, Diallo said.

``Most people in this area,'' said allergist Radin, ``would be allergic to both.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Illustration]

AIRBORNE TICKERS

JANET SHAUGHNESSY

The Virginian-Pilot

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu