Inhalants as allergens

INHALANTS AS ALLERGENS

 

Inhalants are allergens which are light enough to float in the air. The main ones are pollen, molds, incidentals, and epidermoids.
Pollen is the most potent inhalant. It is a yellow powder which acts as the male fertilizing agent of a flower.
Insect-transported pollen rarely causes allergies; rather, allergies are caused by wind-disseminated pollen originating in small flowers which have no nectar or scent. This type of pollen pollutes the air of an inhabited area because it is produced in quantity, is light enough to be easily transported by wind, and has allergenic powers. Such pollen falls into three categories:
a. Pollen that has little allergenic power but is produced in abundance, like the pollen of the pine tree.
b. Pollen that has great allergenic power but is produced in small quantities, like the pollen of the Russian thistle.
c. Pollen that has great allergenic power and is produced in large quantities, like the pollen of the ragweed plant. This pollen is the main cause of allergy in the United States. (High humidity and cold weather diminish its allergenic powers.)
Allergenic pollen may be produced by trees, grasses, and weeds.

Characteristics of the Trees That Cause Pollen Allergy
The following trees pollinate in the United States about the end of April and their pollination lasts from two to three weeks: oak, poplar, beech, elm, hickory, ash, birch, and maple. They can be recognized by their shape, bark, flowers, fruits, and leaves.
The oak is a stout and tall tree that grows to a height of from 60 to 100 feet; it has a leaf with deep, rounded lobes; and it changes its color with the seasons.
The poplar is a tree found on river banks; it grows to a height of up to 100 feet; its leaf is very broad in relation to its length.
The beech has the smoothest bark of all trees. It produces nuts with prickly husks that crack open; leaves that have neat, straight veins; and roots that are flat and large, with moss around them.
The elm is stout and spreads its branches like an umbrella.
The shagback hickory has the shaggiest bark of all trees; it produces very tasty nuts; its wood is strong and tough.
The ash grows up to twenty-five feet tall on slopes and near swamps; its flowers grow in thick clusters.
The white birch shines best in moonlight while the other trees look dark. It is called canoe birch because the Indians peeled its bark to make canoes. It grows in sunny places.
The maple has a sugary sap; its seeds have wings that hang in pairs.

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