Dust Cloud are Killing People out West
“Dust clouds are killing people out West – and the dangers could spread” reads the headline on a Popular Science article written by Virginia Gewin, published on Feb. 24, 2022.[1] A team of scientists takes on the big threats posed by tiny particles out West.
Scientist have been studying Utah’s Great Salt Lake and California’s Owens Lake near Los Angeles. The drought is drying out these lake beds, leaving bare earth full of sediment such as arsenic, dried fungus, metals such as lead, copper, beryllium and aluminum and simple quartzite. Dried minerals, metals and microbes are easily picked up by wind and carried in dust storms throughout the West.
The EPA’s maximum National Ambient Air Quality Standard for coarse particulate matter is 150 micrograms per cubic meter of air during a 24-hour period.?Amounts above 350 are considered to cause significant harm to human health. Some recent measurements in Utah have days exceeding 20,000 micrograms.
PM2.5 dust (Find Dust) is incredible small (a single particle is less than 2.5 micrometers (40 particles = the width of a single strand of hair)) Is very dangerous for your health. It can accumulate deep in the lungs and seep into other organs and blood vessels.
To help reduce this dust risk for shared spaces and offices, consider installing an air purifying unit such as an AeraMax system that filters out dust, viruses, allergens, germs, other pathogens. Learn more about the AreaMax viewing this short video. (2 minutes)
[1] https://www.popsci.com/environment/dust-clouds-dangerous-air-pollution/