AAACHOOOO!

It’s that time of year when those of us who suffer with hay fever start to, well, suffer. If you are one of the 8-10 million hay fever sufferers in the UK you won’t need to be told by me that sneezing and itchy eyes are liable to affect your ability to drive safely.
The hay fever season starts in mid-to-late April with tree pollen such as ash and pine. Common garden trees such as silver birch cause problems in late April to mid May and just as tree pollen is subsiding, grass pollen becomes an issue and causes mayhem from early May through to mid August. Fun it certainly isn’t. High-mileage drivers such as company motorists or commercial vehicle drivers are most at risk of accelerating their symptoms as they spend a lot more time in their vehicles each day.

With individual microscopic tree and grass pollen measuring just 15-100 microns, a high quality pollen filter is necessary to help keep hay fever symptoms at bay. Thankfully, more and more motor manufacturers have realised this over the years and now incorporate such a pollen filter in their vehicles.

Volvo is one such manufacturer and even has someone appointed as ‘manager of allergy-optimised car interiors’ and the filters that it fits to clean the passenger compartment air also remove the particles that cause allergies. It says that, with such a system, a ride in a car can actually make breathing easier for many sufferers when the problem becomes acute. They don’t prescribe that on the National Health: ‘go and take a ride round the block!’.

Researchers at Volvo are now working on the development of filters that can prevent even the tiniest of particles entering the cabin since it is these that are the most dangerous. They may not result in immediate symptoms like the larger ones do, which cause allergies to ‘blossom’, but small particles can cause negative health effects in the longer term.

Along with the standard fitment of a pollen filter, Volvo’s contribution to hay fever relief also includes its automatic Air Quality System (AQS) and a Clean Zone Interior Package (CZIP). AQS consists of a filter featuring a particle trap and an active carbon filter, removing particles such as pollen and unpleasant odours from the incoming air. It is equipped with a sensor that automatically activates the air recirculation function if the concentrations of substances such as nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons in the air entering the cabin are too high.

CZIP provides an interior with materials that avoid collecting dust, such as natural rubber mats instead of dust-collecting textile ones, and upholstery that conforms to the regulations set out by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association. It also includes a remotely-controlled cabin ventilation system which automatically refreshes the car’s interior as soon as it’s unlocked via the remote key fob, to ensure stale air is removed as quickly as possible when the driver enters the car.

All of this might sound like overkill to those who have never suffered from an allergy of this sort, but believe me, it’s not. Any hay fever sufferer will tell you that wanting to rip your nose off your face whilst your driving is not a good idea.

Now pass me the Kleenex.