The impact of sand and dust storms on human health

8 July 2024
9 July 2024
Sand and dust storms occur naturally on Earth but human activities such as climate change and land use change have made them more severe and more widespread. Across the world they have multiple impacts on human health and livelihoods, land quality and ecosystems, food security and economic growth, and more. Geoscientists play an important role in helping to understand the causes and effects of sand and dust storms; observational and modeling studies can be used to develop strategies to prevent, manage and mitigate the effects. In recognition of the United Nations International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms (July 2024) this small compilation of articles showcases research into the impact of sand and dust storms on human health, with examples from Africa, Asia and the Americas.
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Table of Contents

Open Access

Effects of Desert Dust and Sandstorms on Human Health: A Scoping Review

Kaung Suu Lwin,  Aurelio Tobias,  Paul Lester Chua,  Lei Yuan,  Ramita Thawonmas,  Sophearen Ith,  Zin Wai Htay,  Lin Szu Yu,  Lisa Yamasaki,  Marta Roqué,  Xavier Querol,  Julia C. Fussell,  Kari Christine Nadeau,  Massimo Stafoggia,  Najat A. Saliba,  Chris Fook Sheng Ng,  Masahiro Hashizume, 
Key Points

  • Desert dust and sandstorms are recurring environmental phenomena that are reported to produce serious health risks worldwide

  • Inconsistencies in exposure definitions and modeling strategies may have contributed to the observed heterogeneity in the effect estimates

  • Developing a standardized research protocol could be a vital step toward better assessing the association between desert dust and health

Free Access

Desert Dust, Industrialization, and Agricultural Fires: Health Impacts of Outdoor Air Pollution in Africa

Susanne E. Bauer,  Ulas Im,  Keren Mezuman,  Chloe Y. Gao, 
Key Points

  • Air pollution in Africa leads to the premature death of about 800,000 people per year
  • Air quality-related deaths rank within the top leading causes of death, possibly more than HIV/AIDS
  • African continent-wide, mineral desert dust is the main contributor to mortality, followed by “industrial/domestic” and biomass burning

Open Access

Characterization of Bacteria on Aerosols From Dust Events in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa

Alioune Marone,  Coumba Touré Kane,  Malick Mbengue,  Gregory S. Jenkins,  Demba Ndao Niang,  Mamadou Simina Drame,  Jeremy M. Gernand, 
Key Points

  • Samples of Saharan dust were collected and analyzed using two sampling techniques for bacteria between 2013 and 2016 in Dakar, Senegal
  • The dominant groups include Micrococcus, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Burkholderia, using the two sampling techniques
  • The bacteria can promote respiratory disease and pose a threat to populations in West Africa and downstream across Western Atlantic

Open Access

Health and Safety Effects of Airborne Soil Dust in the Americas and Beyond

Daniel Q. Tong,  Thomas E. Gill,  William A. Sprigg,  Robert Scott Van Pelt,  Alexander A. Baklanov,  Bridget Marie Barker,  Jesse E. Bell,  Juan Castillo,  Santiago Gassó,  Cassandra J. Gaston,  Dale W. Griffin,  Nicolas Huneeus,  Ralph A. Kahn,  Arunas P. Kuciauskas,  Luis A. Ladino,  Junran Li,  Olga L. Mayol-Bracero,  Orion Z. McCotter,  Pablo A. Méndez-Lázaro,  Pierpaolo Mudu,  Slobodan Nickovic,  Damian Oyarzun,  Joseph Prospero,  Graciela B. Raga,  Amit U. Raysoni,  Ling Ren,  Nikias Sarafoglou,  Andrea Sealy,  Ziheng Sun,  Ana Vukovic Vimic, 
Key Points

  • Human exposure to dust has been associated with adverse health effects, including asthma, fungal infections, and premature death

  • Dust provides nutrients to ecosystems, pollutes water and food, spreads pathogens and radionuclides, and reduces solar generation

  • Dust is a major safety hazard to road transportation, aviation, and marine navigation

Open Access

Temporal Relationships Between Saharan Dust Proxies, Climate, and Meningitis in Senegal

Aara’L. Y. Yarber,  Gregory S. Jenkins,  Ajit Singh,  Aminata Diokhane, 
  • First Published: 16 December 2022
Key Points

  • Senegal's relatively high humidity year-round may favor relatively low meningitis incidence

  • Meningitis seasonality may be influenced by dust, Harmattan wind, temperature, and humidity

  • Saharan dust may affect the onset of the meningitis season through direct or indirect processes

Open Access

Impact of Deadly Dust Storms (May 2018) on Air Quality, Meteorological, and Atmospheric Parameters Over the Northern Parts of India

Sudipta Sarkar,  Akshansha Chauhan,  Rajesh Kumar,  Ramesh P. Singh, 
  • First Published: 24 February 2019
Key Points

  • Intense uplift phases were observed associated with displacement of trace and greenhouse gasses
  • Increased aerosol loading was associated with changes in aerosol volume size distributions
  • Increased surface ozone was observed in areas under the direct influence of dust

Open Access

WRF 1960–2014 Winter Season Simulations of Particulate Matter in the Sahel: Implications for Air Quality and Respiratory Health

Gregory S. Jenkins,  Moussa Gueye, 
Key Points

  • Decadal variations in Sahelian PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations are strongly related to Saharan wind speed magnitude anomalies between the surface and 925 hPa
  • The highest correlations among the North Atlantic Oscillation and simulated Sahelian and Saharan PM10 seasonal anomalies between 1960–1970 and 1988–2002 are observed
  • Improved ambient air pollution and health monitoring is a critical need for determining the connections between particulate matter and respiratory disease in the Sahel

Open Access

Observed and Modeled Seasonal Air Quality and Respiratory Health in Senegal During 2015 and 2016

Nafissatou Oumar Toure,  Ndeye Ramatoulaye Diagne Gueye,  Aminata Mbow-Diokhane,  Gregory S. Jenkins,  Maggie Li,  Mamadou S. Drame,  Karen Adjoa Ronke Coker,  Khady Thiam, 
Key Points

  • Saharan dust transport is responsible for poor air quality over Senegal from attribution dust simulations of the WRF model
  • During 2015 and 2016, asthma and bronchitis prevalence are highest in the administrative district of Dakar during the summer season (JJA)
  • ARI prevalence exceeds 9,000 per 100,000 for children between 12 and 59 months in the administrative districts of Kafferine during DJF of 2015–2016

Open Access

Premature Deaths in Africa Due To Particulate Matter Under High and Low Warming Scenarios

D. Shindell,  G. Faluvegi,  L. Parsons,  E. Nagamoto,  J. Chang, 
Key Points

  • Achieving climate change mitigation and sustainable development goals greatly reduces premature deaths due to air pollution in Africa

  • Cumulative avoided premature deaths surpass one million for Northern, West, and East Africa in the 2030s, and for all regions by 2050

  • Projected changes in exposure vary by up to 50% across models for a given scenario and region, but health impacts only vary by up to 35%

Open Access

Dithiothreitol-Measured Oxidative Potential of Reference Materials of Mineral Dust: Implications for the Toxicity of Mineral Dust Aerosols in the Atmosphere

Chiharu Nishita-Hara,  Hiroshi Kobayashi,  Keiichiro Hara,  Masahiko Hayashi, 
Key Points

  • The oxidative potential (OP) of mineral dust reference materials is characterized using dithiothreitol assay

  • The surface area of insoluble particles strongly affects the OP of mineral dust

  • The intrinsic OP of atmospheric mineral dust aerosols is comparable to that of urban aerosols

Open Access

Dithiothreitol-Measured Oxidative Potential of Size-Segregated Particulate Matter in Fukuoka, Japan: Effects of Asian Dust Events

Chiharu Nishita-Hara,  Motohiro Hirabayashi,  Keiichiro Hara,  Akihiro Yamazaki,  Masahiko Hayashi, 
Key Points

  • We investigated effects of Asian dust on the oxidative potential of particulate matter in Japan
  • Air-volume normalized oxidative potential of particulate matter was significantly higher during Asian dust events than on nonevent days
  • Asian dust storms engender exposure of higher concentrations of particulate matter that have potential to generate oxidizing species