Experts expect the plume to head inland across the United States over the next several days, impacting many states along the Gulf Coast, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. The dust cloud is then expected to travel throughout the South and Midwest, according to computer models from the National Weather Service. Although dust plumes from the Sahara are common and actually have fertilizing benefits for ocean life and rain forests, reports out of Puerto Rico are calling this amount of dust “historic” and “one of the most significant dust events seen” in the country, according to CNN. The sheer volume of the mass led astronaut Col. Doug Hurley to tweet a picture of the cloud from the International Space Station, with the caption “We flew over this Saharan dust plume today in the west central Atlantic. Amazing how large an area it covers!” The tremendous amount of dust has experts concerned about air quality and potential health issues that can come with particle pollution, which is a mix of tiny solid and liquid particles that are in the air we breathe. “Patients with preexisting lung conditions may really have a tough time with the dust cloud,” says Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, a pulmonary and critical care doctor at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. “Most patients with preexisting lung conditions such as COPD or asthma have triggers that can result in an increase of symptoms such as shortness of breath and frequent infections, and something like this dust cloud can be a trigger,” says Dr. Galiatsatos.
Who Is Most at Risk?
According to the American Lung Association, anyone who lives in an area where particle pollution levels are high faces an elevated risk for health problems, but some groups are especially vulnerable:
Infants, children, and teensPeople with asthma and COPDPeople with heart diseaseHispanic and Black peopleCurrent or former smokersPeople with lower incomePeople with obesity
There is some evidence in air pollution studies that if fine particles get into the lungs they can increase heart-attack risk, says Norman H. Edelman, MD, a pulmonologist and a member of the program in public health at Stony Brook Medicine in New York. “It’s hard to know exactly what kind and how many particles will reach the earth from this cloud, but certainly if I had chronic lung disease, I would wear a particle mask,” says Dr. Edelman. Short-term exposure to particle pollution ranging from hours to days has also been linked to premature deaths, more severe asthma attacks, and increased hospitalization for asthma, heart disease, and COPD, according to a report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on particulate matter. RELATED: Cardiovascular Disease Is Already the Leading Cause of Death, Climate Change Will Make It Worse
Dust Cloud Could Threaten Those Already Vulnerable to COVID-19
The dust cloud potentially creates a “double whammy” for some groups who are at a higher risk for both catching or having a serious case of COVID-19 and who are more likely to have health issues related to particle pollution, according to Galiatsatos. This would include people with asthma, COPD, heart issues, obesity, current and former smokers, and Hispanic and Black people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RELATED: Black Americans Have Been Hit Hardest by COVID-19 — Here’s Why “If you already have a preexisting condition like asthma or COPD, there’s generally kind of a maladaptation to the lungs. Your condition may be stable, but it can get worse when you encounter stimuli such as excess pollution,” says Galiatsatos. “There can be an overexaggerated response of the lungs which can lead to a flare — shortness of breath gets worse, coughing gets worse, and mucus production increases.” This could leave you more vulnerable to COVID-19, he says. RELATED: What You Need to Know About the New Coronavirus if You Have Asthma
Dust Plume Could Increase COVID-19 Spread
It’s fair to assume that this dust cloud may cause more coughing and sneezing than usual which could increase the spread of the coronavirus, says Galiatsatos. “I’m most concerned about people who don’t currently have symptoms spreading the virus this way,” he says. “We know COVID-19 is very contagious and can exist in asymptomatic and presymptomatic patients. If they inhale all this dust it could lead to coughing and sneezing — not because of COVID-19 but as a response to the dust.” The increase in sneezing and coughing, which spread the coronavirus through respiratory droplets, could result in an increase in COVID-19 cases, says Galiatsatos. The impact may overload the healthcare system, at least temporarily. “If there’s an increase in coughing and trouble breathing it could potentially lead people to be concerned that they’ve caught the virus. It may have a great impact on emergency rooms,” says Edelman. RELATED: Expert Tips for Coping With COVID-19 at Home
Study Links Pollution to More Severe COVID-19
The dust cloud could potentially lead to more severe cases of COVID-19, according to a recent nationwide study conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Investigators found that people who live in U.S. regions with higher level of air pollution are more likely to die from COVID-19 than people who live in less polluted areas. The researchers wrote, “The study results underscore the importance of continuing to enforce existing air pollution regulations to protect human health both during and after the COVID-19 crisis.”
How to Reduce Health Risk When the Cloud Hits
If you live in an area that will be impacted by the dust cloud, there are ways to reduce the risk that it poses to your health, according to Galiatsatos. Stay inside. “If you have a preexisting condition, if you have the luxury of not going out during the time period that the dust cloud is in your area, I would suggest you do that,” says Galiatsatos. Wear a mask or face covering. Not only do face masks help prevent the spread of COVID-19, they can reduce the dust-cloud threat. “The mask helps keep you from inhaling the dust particles,” Galiatsatos says. Wash off any particles. If you must go out, remove your clothes and take a shower or bath as soon as you get home. “Those particles are going to cling to your clothes and your hair and at some point, they’ll come off and you’ll inhale them,” Galiatsatos says. By taking off your clothes and showering you can stave that off. RELATED: Your COVID-19 Summer Safety Guide
