Overview
- Published March 3 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, the analysis covered 92,280 students and 156,059 matriculation exam scores from 2006–2020 in Helsinki and Turku.
- Daily alder and hazel pollen were associated with modest score declines, showing a U-shaped pattern with worse results on low and high pollen days compared with no pollen.
- Each additional 10 grains per cubic metre corresponded to a drop of about 0.042 points for alder and 0.17 points for hazel on a 0–66 scale, with the largest effects in mathematics, physics and chemistry.
- Sex-specific nuances were reported, including a statistically significant alder-related drop among females overall and hazel-related declines in maths only among males, with results robust to weather and air pollution controls.
- The authors and health charities recommend considering exam timing, improving access to accurate pollen information, and using timely non-sedating treatments, while noting the study is observational and lacks individual allergy data.