Keywords
pollen
Palinocam Network
aerobiological networks
public health
enviromental health
How to Cite
Abstract
This work includes the main activities for the dissemination of aerobiological information of the Madrid Region Palynological Network of the Community of Madrid (Palinocam network), from 1994 to 2022. In 1992, the Regional Program for the Prevention and Control of Asthma included the Community of Madrid in its strategy for monitoring and controlling environmental pollution, including particles of biological origin. Thus, the Palinocam network was designed and launched in March 1993, to monitor the concentration of pollen and spores with allergenic potential in the air. This network was the first in Spain promoted from a Public Health program and is an example of successful institutional collaboration, involving the Ministry of Health, the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Complutense University of Madrid, several City Councils and a private station. It currently has eleven Hirst-type volumetric spore traps, allowing us to know the risk of exposure to pollen for more than 80 % of the Madrid population. The dissemination of aerobiological information has evolved with technologies, from fax and answering machines, to the current dissemination, on a larger scale, by electronic means. The network’s website (www.comunidad.madrid/servicios/salud/polen), the main information channel, is one of the most visited pages during the spring, coinciding with the time of greatest demand for updated information. The analysis of the samples and the daily sending of data to the coordinating center is one of the fundamental pillars of the success of the information systems of the Palinocam network.
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