FARMINGTON – The Franklin Memorial Hospital Medical Laboratory will begin providing pollen and mold level reports for the community as a public service. A sampling of airborne pollens and molds will be taken and read by trained technologists in the hospital’s lab, every day May 27 through November.

Reports will include total pollen and mold counts as well as a rating of low, medium, high or very high. Species will be identified in each report, allowing individuals to figure out which allergens they are most sensitive to by keeping track of when they are most affected.

Exposure to pollen and molds can increase asthma symptoms and trigger hay fever or seasonal allergy symptoms. Common symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, coughing and itchy, watery eyes. Anyone who believes that they suffer from allergies should talk to their doctor about the best way to manage their condition.

“We are pleased to be able to offer this important service to our patients and the community,” said Suzanne O’Brien, laboratory director. “This information will be useful to those who suffer from asthma and allergies and will allow them to adjust their medications as needed.”

Andrea Nurse, of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, said, “Pollens are released into the air by numerous trees and plants, and each species releases pollen at different times throughout the growing season. These cycles can vary by as much as three weeks across locations in Maine. So pollen reports from Bangor, Presque Isle, or Sanford aren’t necessarily accurate for the Farmington area. That’s why we’re so pleased to have Franklin Memorial Hospital partner with the Climate Change Institute in this pollen and spore reporting project.”

Initially, the pollen reports can be accessed at www.fchn.org/news, www.dailybulldog.com/health, on WKTJ 99.3 FM and in the Franklin Journal and Livermore Falls Advertiser, with additional venues to be added. For more information, contact O’Brien at 779-2272.