Pollen levels were so extreme in parts of Europe during spring that even people not known to suffer allergies felt the effects of hay fever, data has shown.
The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (Cams) observed a seasonal rise in grass and olive pollen release and transport across southern Europe and “extreme levels” of birch pollen in north-eastern regions, it said on Thursday.
Finland, in particular, experienced “extreme daily means of birch pollen” in May “that led to symptoms even among individuals without known allergies”, the EU agency said in its latest air quality update.
Scientists say the climate crisis is altering the production and distribution of pollen and spores, as more and more people report developing allergy symptoms.
As winter frost thaws earlier and spring weather gets warmer, plants and trees flower earlier, extending the pollen season and misery for allergy sufferers.
About a quarter of adults in Europe suffer from airborne allergies, including severe asthma. The proportion among children is 30% to 40%.
That figure is expected to rise to half of Europeans by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Laurence Rouil, the director of Cams, said bouts of extremely high pollen levels were not unusual in spring but noted the particular “severity and extent” of this year’s episode.
Air pollution can also increase people’s sensitivity to allergens, while invasive species are spreading into new regions and causing fresh waves of allergies.
Between March and May, air quality across Europe was also affected by wildfires.
April fire emissions in the UK were the second highest since 2003, while the Netherlands recorded unprecedented wildfire emissions levels in this period of the year, Cams said.
Farther afield, large wildfires in eastern Russia sent significant smoke into China and Japan and plumes from major blazes in Canada were observed over Europe in late May, it added.