Richmond launches area's first pollen tracker to aid allergy care

State of play: The Richmond station, which started collecting samples in February, is one of the more than 80 National Allergy Bureau-designated pollen-counting stations in the country.

• The closest station was previously in D.C., measuring their air and pollen — not Richmond's.
• With the local station, VCU researchers can collect, study and better understand local pollen grains, which could help them develop "targeted immunotherapy" for allergy sufferers.

What they're saying: "It's the most accurate count you can obtain," says Jessica Hess, part of the hospital's allergy and immunology team.

• "Some of our patients may have just one pollen type they are allergic to so it's helpful to know when it's actually here in our airstream so we can align their treatment."

How it works: The air sampler moves with the wind, constantly collecting air samples.

• Hess "unloads" the samples weekly and studies them under a microscope to identify different pollen grains.
• That data is reported to the national bureau, which the public can view at any time.
• There's even an email alert option for folks super into pollen counts.