Ragweed pollen trap on the Infineon research building

Villach, June 13, 2024 - A Burkard pollen trap has recently been installed on the roof of the Infineon research building. The device is part of the large Pollen Information Austria network. The data collected since the beginning of June provides up-to-date information about the pollen count in the region and is used for research purposes.

Frequent sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes or itching - these can be the symptoms of an allergy. In Carinthia, around 60,000 people suffer from an allergy caused by contact with pollen. In particular, the dusting of the ragweed plant - also known as ragweed - causes allergy sufferers from July to the end of September. The ragweed plant is an invasive neophyte introduced from North America and is showing a tendency to spread throughout Central Europe due to climate change. In Carinthia, the area around the town of Villach is particularly affected by the spread of the ragweed plant.

As an air flow intersection from the Gail and Drau valleys, Villach also shows significant pollen transport from neighboring countries to the south and is therefore very well suited for recording the development of pollen release from this neophyte. The Infineon research building in Siemensstrasse offers a suitable location and altitude for pollen data collection.

Jörg Eisenschmied, CFO of Infineon Austria: "Our location offers good conditions for pollen measurement, which is why we are naturally happy to support the pollen warning service of the state of Carinthia. The collection of pollen data benefits allergy sufferers as well as allergy and health-related climate research. This regional cooperation underlines our commitment to sustainability." 

Helmut Zwander, Scientific Director of the Pollen Monitoring Service Carinthia: “Infineon always shows an understanding for scientific issues and is open to supporting research activities, especially in the area of climate change. The causes of ever longer pollen cycles are linked to global warming - the mild winter days promote an early start to the pollen season and allow plants to flower until late in the fall. With the measuring station, we record the regional ragweed pollen count and can gain new insights."

The latest pollen monitoring data is available on the Pollen Information Austria website at www.polleninformation.at.

About the Pollen Monitoring Service of the Province of Carinthia

The Pollen Monitoring Service of the Province of Carinthia was set up in May 1979. Its task is to record the pollen count during the vegetation period. This data is the basis for providing up-to-date pollen count forecasts for allergy sufferers. The measurement data and forecasts are used in diagnosis, prophylaxis, therapy and therapy assessment and are equally useful for allergy sufferers and doctors.

Infineon Technologies Austria AG is a subsidiary of Infineon Technologies AG, a global semiconductor leader in power systems and IoT. Semiconductors are essential for mastering the energy-related challenges of our time and helping to shape the digital transformation. Infineon's microelectronics drive decarbonization and digitalization and enable groundbreaking solutions for green and efficient energy, clean and safe mobility as well as a smart and secure IoT.

Infineon Austria pools competencies for research and development, production as well as global business responsibility. The head office is in Villach, with further branches in Graz, Klagenfurt, Linz, Innsbruck and Vienna. With 5,886 employees (including around 2,500 in research and development) from 79 nations, the company generated revenue of EUR 5.6 billion in the 2023 fiscal year (ending 30 September). With research expenditure of 672 million euros, Infineon Austria is the strongest research company in Austria.