{"id":29115,"date":"2025-06-05T19:20:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T19:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=29115"},"modified":"2025-06-05T19:29:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T19:29:43","slug":"saharan-dust-plume-health-effects-and-how-to-protect-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=29115","title":{"rendered":"Saharan Dust Plume: Health Effects and How to Protect Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-79rysd e1wiw3jv0\">A plume of dust is affecting air quality in Florida and may reach other Southern states soon. Here\u2019s what we know about the potential health effects.<\/p>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A plume of dust that has traveled across the Atlantic Ocean from the Sahara <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/06\/04\/weather\/saharan-dust-florida-texas.html\" title>was affecting air quality in Florida<\/a> on Thursday and may reach other Southern states by the weekend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Such events occur in the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast region several times a year, and scientists are studying how climate change may affect their frequency and intensity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Here is what research shows about the health effects of Saharan dust exposure, and how people can protect themselves.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-1u37br4 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-191dd188\">What is in the dust plume?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Dust plumes like this one originate in deserts, in this case, the Sahara. The dust is composed mainly of minerals found in desert sand, including silicates such as quartz.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Dropzone-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But as they travel, plumes can pick up other pollutants, as well as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Reactions among the pollutants, and between those pollutants and sunlight, can produce additional chemicals as well.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-1u37br4 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-26a1d698\">What are the effects of exposure?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">What makes Saharan dust dangerous is that its particles are extremely small, which means they can be inhaled deep into the lungs, irritating and damaging them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-kbghgg\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171quhb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F05%2Fwell%2Fsaharan-dust-health-protection.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F05%2Fwell%2Fsaharan-dust-health-protection.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F05%2Fwell%2Fsaharan-dust-health-protection.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F05%2Fwell%2Fsaharan-dust-health-protection.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A plume of dust is affecting air quality in Florida and may reach other Southern states soon. Here\u2019s what we know about the potential health effects.A plume of dust that has traveled across the Atlantic Ocean from the Sahara was affecting air quality in Florida on Thursday and may reach other Southern states by the weekend.Such events occur in the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast region several times a year, and scientists are studying how climate change may affect their frequency and intensity.Here is what research shows about the health effects of Saharan dust exposure, and how people can protect themselves.What is in the dust plume?Dust plumes like this one originate in deserts, in this case, the Sahara. The dust is composed mainly of minerals found in desert sand, including silicates such as quartz.But as they travel, plumes can pick up other pollutants, as well as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Reactions among the pollutants, and between those pollutants and sunlight, can produce additional chemicals as well.What are the effects of exposure?What makes Saharan dust dangerous is that its particles are extremely small, which means they can be inhaled deep into the lungs, irritating and damaging them.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29117,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29115"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29118,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29115\/revisions\/29118"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}