Sandstorms pose a serious threat to human health

In recent days, the sandstorm that has engulfed the Middle East has become a phenomenon experts warn could proliferate due to climate change, putting human health in serious danger.

At least 4,000 people have been hospitalized since Monday (May 16) for respiratory problems in Iraq, where eight sandstorms have blanketed the country since mid-April. This is the highest increase among more than 5,000 people being treated in Iraqi hospitals for respiratory illnesses earlier this month.

In addition, the phenomenon of sandstorm also scares Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the coming days. Strong winds carry large amounts of sand and dust into the atmosphere, which can then travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometers.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the sandstorm has affected a total of 150 countries and regions, adversely affecting the environment, health and the economy.

Sandstorms are appearing more and more in Middle Eastern countries.

Carlos Perez Garcia-Pando, a sand and dust storm expert at the Barcelona Center for Supercomputing and the Catalan Institute for Advanced Study, said: "It's a local and global phenomenon, storms originating in arid or semi-arid regions in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia and China.

Other less affected regions include Australia, the Americas and South Africa.

The WMO agency has warned of 'serious risks' posed by airborne dust.

Fine dust particles can cause health problems like asthma and cardiovascular disease, and spread bacteria, viruses, as well as pesticides and other toxins.

"Particle size is a key determinant of potential risk to human health," said WMO.

Small particles that can be smaller than 10 micrometers can often become trapped in the nose, mouth and upper respiratory tract, and as a result it is linked to respiratory disorders such as asthma and pneumonia.

Those at high risk are mostly the oldest and those struggling with breathing and heart problems. And the people most affected are residents of countries frequently hit by sandstorms.

Depending on weather and climate conditions, dust can stay in the atmosphere for several days and travel great distances, sometimes carrying bacteria, pollen, fungi, and viruses.

Thomas Bourdrel, a radiologist at the University of Strasbourg, member of the Aviation Health Climatology collective, said: "However, the severity is less than for ultrafine particles, e.g. from road traffic, can enter the brain or blood system".

Even if sand particles are less toxic than those produced by combustion, their 'extreme density during storms results in cardiorespiratory mortality, especially in the most vulnerable,' he said.

"With concentrations in the thousands of cubic micrometers in the air, it's almost impossible to handle," said Garcia-Pando.

Some scientists say the frequency and intensity of sandstorms could be made worse by climate change.

But this complex phenomenon is 'fraught with uncertainties' and is influenced by a range of factors such as heat, wind and agricultural practices, Garcia-Pando told AFP.

He said: 'In some areas, climate change may reduce the wind force that causes storms, but extreme events could persist, even increase.

With global temperatures rising, it is likely that more and more regions of the Earth will become arid. "This year, temperature anomalies were observed in East Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia, and this drought also affects plants, a factor that may be increase sandstorms".

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