Grass pollen grabs allergy sufferers

Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), June, 2002

Byline: TIM CHRISTIE The Register-Guard

Got itchy, watery eyes, a scratchy throat, and a chest that feels like it's caught in a vise? Welcome to the joys of the grass pollen season in the southern Willamette Valley.

Allergy sufferers have packed local emergency rooms in recent days as grass pollens fill the air in the Eugene-Springfield area.

"We've been hammered by people with allergies for four or five days," said Tom Hambly, manager of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital's emergency department.

It's a similar situation at Sacred Heart Medical Center, where 20 to 40 people a day have been showing up seeking relief from itchy eyes, sneezing, congestion and breathing problems, emergency physician Dr. Geoff Gordon said.

"I'm not totally...