First pollen calendar of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
The pollen calendar offers a clear display of the different pollen types which can cause respiratory allergies and their level of presence in the air throughout the year. There are four levels (from 1 to 4) which allow inhabitants to know what chances they have of suffering from allergies.
According to Emilio Cuevas, director of the Izaña Atmospheric Research Center (AEMET), "the data compiled with the EOLO PAT project and the pollen calendar complement the information we have of the atmospheric aerosols and gas contamination in the city. In addition of showing which types of pollen exist, the calendar goes a step forward and indicates the level of risk at all moments".
Jordina Belmonte, head researcher at the UAB Laboraotry of Palynological Analysis, explains that "the information in the calendar is very useful for those suffering from allergies as well as for allergists, pneumologists and general practitioners and a good complementary tool to the information offered every week. It summarises the biological quality of the air of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the information can be applied to other areas with similar environmental characteristics".
The creation of the calendar is part of the EOLO PAT project, which has been carried out in Santa Cruz de Tenerife since 2004. The project is offering, all these four years long, weekly bulletins with the forecasts for the most significant levels of pollen and spores.
Juan F. Priego, director of Air Liquide in the Canary Islands, states that the firm "continues offering its support to these project which confirms our compromise with the society, the health and the environment. The pollen calendar is a historical advance in the information available for patients and health care services".
The pollen calendar of Santa Cruz de Tenerife can be consulted online at: http://lap.uab.cat/aerobiologia/general/pdf/calendaris/cal_pol_tenerife_en.pdf.
For more information on the EOLO PAT project please visit: http://lap.uab.cat/aerobiologia/en/
