WHAT'S OUT THERE? TESTING THE AIR FOR ALLERGENS

Counting the pollen and mold spores that torment allergy sufferers is a morning ritual for Nona Chapman.

First thing each day she climbs to the roof of Magill Hall of Science to collect the previous day's sample.

She takes the collection home to study under a microscope, determining pollen and mold in dirt and then counting the allergens.

Why? Chapman's husband, Dr. Jean Chapman is a local allergist who uses the information in his daily practice. The information is also forwarded to a national network for use in research. It is also published in the Southeast Missourian so readers can learn what may be causing their itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezing.

The Chapmans have been doing pollen and spore counts for over 20 years in Cape Girardeau. They helped establish a nationwide network of counting stations.

Today the American Academy of Allergy's Aeroallergen Network, with approximately 75 stations around the nation, is coordinated through the Harvard School of Public Health.

"It is accurate data," Chapman said. The information is used by researchers studying new drugs for the treatment of allergies.

But more important to physicians like Chapman, the data is used to determine what is in the air. "We can pick up when a season starts, when it peaks and when the season ends," Chapman said.

He said it also helps identify what might be causing a patient trouble. "If a person comes in and says, `Ragweed is killing me,' and we know there is no ragweed in the air, we start looking for something else," the doctor said.

Knowing what is in the air also gives better direction for skin tests to determine what patients might be allergic to.

High atop Magill Hall is the Rotorod Air Sampler. Plastic sampling rods coated with silicon are attached to the machine. For a few second in each minute the sampling rod is exposed to the air. Samples are taken over 24 hours.

At the end of 24 hours, Nona Chapman takes the plastic rod and its collection of allergens home.

She has been trained to identify the pollen and fungal spores from other air-borne contaminants like dirt or even an occasional bug.

The results are given to her husband's office and are published in the Southeast Missourian. She also gives information to the pollen and mold network. Information from Cape Girardeau is used to calculate national levels of allergens.

While the counts reported in the newspaper are scientifically accurate for the collection site, the numbers may not reflect personal exposure.

Dr. Chapman said a recent study here showed people who work on a farm have 1,000 times more exposure to fungi than people who live in town.

A person who goes fishing in a pond surrounded by ragweed may suddenly get sick when they wouldn't have been affected by ragweed at home.

It's tough to determine exactly what causes the levels to rise. When certain plants bloom or are harvested, levels rise.

Beyond that, any number of factors can influence the reading. "We could have a cloud of mold spores or the wind is in the right direction," she said.

Earlier this week Nona Chapman found the mold spore count growing at a rapid rate. Last week the reading was in the 2,000 range; this week the spores are topping 9,000. For allergy sufferers susceptible to molds the high counts mean stuffy noses, watery eyes and lots of sneezes.

"It's normal at this time of the year, with harvesting," she said.