title: [Usefulness and practical use of an automatic counter for scattering pollen in spring].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this decade some automatic pollen counters have been developed and showed them useful in some reports. However, the results of automatic counting have not been established.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have compared scattering cedar and cypress pollen counts with Durham pollen samplers and a newly developed automatic pollen counter (KH-3000) in the spring from 2000 to 2004 in Tokyo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The relationship between the data of the automatic counter and that of a Durham sampler method is so good that this automatic counter seems useful. The best relationship between two methods was seen from late February to early April in the season of high amounts of pollens scatters. The ratio of pollen counts measured with automatic counter and Durham sampler was about 3.5 on average in the period of enough cedar and cypress pollen dispersion. The avoidance of pollens seems possible with real-time pollen information because reliability of automatic counting is highly evaluated when enough pollens scatter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In future, the standardization of automatic counting should be necessary for the accurate evaluation of scattering pollens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, St. Luke's International Hospital. imaitoru@luke.or.jp
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nohara
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukaya
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D028203:Cedrus; D029781:Cupressus; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D011058:Pollen; D012621:Seasons; D013997:Time Factors; D014041:Tokyo
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants