Airborne pollen sampling on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and Tobago, WI

Probable associations which exist between airborne pollen and respiratory diseases remain underappreciated, particularly within the Caribbean region, due to limited research. In an effort to better appreciate these relationships, further investigation into local airborne pollen on a sustained long-term basis is required. As a first step, using a 7-day-recording volumetric spore trap, air sampling was carried out in the St. Augustine area on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad to expand the limited data presently available to allergists on local pollen varieties. This sampling was a component of broader research on the association between airborne pollen, Saharan Dust, and pediatric asthma. During the 2-year sampling period, several varieties of pollen were found and classified and are presented in this article. The photographic pollen image compilation created can be used as a baseline to further investigate the aerospora in Trinidad which can address the current lack of documented records of local airborne pollen, thereby improving local scientific knowledge in this area.