Why is the 2024 mugwort pollen season worth your attention? Original article

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Published: Apr 8, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24292/01.AP.214881225
Keywords:
pollen count, aeroallergens, mugwort, Artemisia L., 2024, record peak date

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Małgorzata Puc
1. Institute of Marine & Environmental Sciences, University of Szczecin, Poland. 2. Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Centre, Institute of Biology, University of Szczecin, Poland
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6734-9352
Karina Szczypiór-Piasecka
Department of Rehabilitation of the Musculoskeletal System, Pomeranian Medical University
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9562-9201
Joanna Rapiejko
1. Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. 2. Allergen Research Center, Warsaw, Poland
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9832-0413
Julia Łukawska
Department of Otolaryngology with Division of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Military Institute of Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2333-7951
Krystyna Piotrowska-Weryszko
Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Subdepartment of Aerobiology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3827-3218
Barbara Majkowska-Wojciechowska
Aeroallergen Monitoring Centre (AMoC), Department of Immunology and Allergy, Medical University of Łódź, Poland
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1332-8139
Szymon Tomczyk
University of Wrocław, Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8930-907X
Grzegorz Siergiejko
Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Allergology Department, University Children Hospital, Medical University of Bialystok, Poland
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4084-8332
Agnieszka Lipiec
Department of Prevention of Environmental Hazards, Allergology and Immunology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3037-2326

Abstract

Artemisia (mugwort) is one of the largest and most widely distributed genera of the Asteraceae family and can be found mainly in Europe, Asia, and North America. However, only a few genera, including Artemisia, are potential but significant sources of allergens. The aim of the study was to compare the mugwort pollen seasons in Białystok, Lublin, Olsztyn, Piotrków Trybunalski, Szczecin, Wrocław, Warsaw and Łódź in 2024. The investigations were carried out using the volumetric method. Seasonal Pollen Index (SPI) was estimated as the sum of daily average pollen concentrations in the given season. The mugwort pollen season is mainly observed in June, July and at the beginning of September. It is worth noting that in 2024, the peak of the mugwort pollen season shifted to September – because, most likely for the first time in Poland, in the last two decades of pollen monitoring, the maximum concentration of mugwort pollen was recorded so late, in September. This was observed at all measurement points, except for Wrocław. In 2024 the pollen season of mugwort started first in Szczecin and Łódź, on the 21th of June. At the latest, a pollen season ended in Warsaw and Lublin, and also in Olsztyn, Piotrków Trybunalski and Łódź, September 23rd and later. Differences in the length of pollen seasons were small, ranging from 83 to 93 days. The highest, record-breaking airborne concentration of 265 pollen grains/m3 was noted in Lublin on the 17th of September. In previous years this took place in July or August. The maximum values of seasonal pollen count in Polish cities occurred within five days, between 16th and 20th of September. The exception was Wrocław, with a seasonal maximum recorded on August 8th. The highest mugwort pollen allergen hazard occurred in 2024 in Lublin, Warsaw and Piotrków Trybunalski and was 4–5 times higher than in other cities. The highest variability in the analysed seasons was found in peak value and SPI value. In the pollen season in 2024 (similar to previous years), two peaks of Artemisia pollen concentrations were observed as a result of the order of flowering of A. vulgaris and A. campestris. Information on the pollination of various Artemisia species will be used to avoid excessive exposure to allergens of these pollen grains.

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How to Cite
Puc, M., Szczypiór-Piasecka, K., Rapiejko, J., Łukawska, J., Piotrowska-Weryszko, K., Majkowska-Wojciechowska, B., Tomczyk, S., Siergiejko, G., & Lipiec, A. (2026). Why is the 2024 mugwort pollen season worth your attention?. Alergoprofil, 21(4), 14-19. https://doi.org/10.24292/01.AP.214881225
Issue
Vol 21 No 4 (2025)
Section
MEDICAL AEROBIOLOGY
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Copyright: ? Medical Education sp. z o.o. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.

Address reprint requests to: Medical Education, Marcin Kuźma (marcin.kuzma@mededu.pl)

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