The NPARU is part of the Institute of Health, Social Care and Psychology

About the National Pollen and Aerobiology
Research Unit

The NPARU conducts research and consultancy on aerobiology (large organic particles in the air), both for the outdoor and indoor environments. For the outdoor environments, the work focuses' on the abundance and dispersal of pollen. It covers a wide range of aspects including distribution patterns in allergenic pollen, pollen monitoring, hay fever and asthma, testing filters, forensics and the dispersal of pollen from GM crops.

In the case of the indoor environment the unit's work includes research on the reduction of house dust mite allergen, cat allergen and fungi and considers interactions with pollutants in the context of indoor air quality. Results from the work are presented frequently at international conferences, are published in refereed journals and feature regularly in media reports on topics related to pollen, hay fever and asthma.

The unit has links with many other institutions as collaborators, both in the UK and overseas. Current research topics include analysis of cardio-vascular diseases and the changing spectrum of small airborne particles over the last three decades in South Wales, reduction of house dust mite by cleaning techniques, relationships between Asthma, COPD and weather variables, and trends in pollen seasons in relation to environmental changes across Europe.

The unit co-ordinates the National Pollen Network in Britain, a system of 21 pollen monitoring sites. Ten of the sites measure daily concentrations of all main allergenic pollen types, including tree and weed pollen. The other sites monitor daily concentrations of grass pollen only as this is the most important allergenic pollen type in the United Kingdom. The results are collated into a data bank and used by the unit to provide national forecasts for the media including TV, radio, teletext, web sites and newspapers.

The National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit has developed links with Industry through consultancy and sponsored research. In particular the Unit has strong links with the Health Care and Pharmaceutical industries but it has also been involved in testing air filters, forensics, analysis of pollen in paintings and the development of new equipment for particle sampling.

Current research in the unit covers a wide range of topics. Projects include the development of prediction models for pollen forecasting both on short time and long time scales, analysis of pollen seasons over Europe in relation to recent fluctuations in climates and examination of the relationships between the severity of asthma, indoor mould and deprivation. Most of the research is sponsored through industry or through links with other organisations such as NHS Hospital trusts . The research students (see details of the NPARU team) are jointly funded by University of Worcester, and various collaborating bodies.

Previous research papers have included relationships between asthma episodes and thunderstorms with many collaborators including the Meteorological Office, St George's Hospital London, and the National Heart and Lung Institute, the roles of ozone concentrations and aeroallergens and asthma attacks (with St George's Hospital, London) and trends in pollen seasons in relation to climatic changes (with MAARA, and St Mary's Hospital, Paddington) and the establishment of Aerobiology Internet sites (with colleagues in Europe including the FISBAT Institute Bologna, Italy and the University of Cordoba, Spain.). Within the unit current projects include the influences of pollutants on pollen morphology and the origins of small particles bearing plant allergens. In 1994 the Unit moved from Holloway in North London to its new home in Worcester. Over the last 10 years it has continued to work with established projects whilst also developing many new links.