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. 2022 Mar 28;19(7):4022.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19074022.

Health Effects of Dust Storms on the South Edge of the Taklimakan Desert, China: A Survey-Based Approach

Aishajiang Aili  1 , Hailiang Xu  1 , Xinfeng Zhao  1
Affiliations

Health Effects of Dust Storms on the South Edge of the Taklimakan Desert, China: A Survey-Based Approach

Aishajiang Aili et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Dust storms have already become the most serious environmental problem on the south edge of the Taklimakan desert because of their frequent occurrences. To investigate the health effects of dust storms on public health in Moyu County, one of the most severe dust-storm-affected areas located at the south edge of the Taklimakan desert, China, primary data were collected from 1200 respondents by using a questionnaire survey for 15 health symptoms. The data were analyzed by comparing the mean tool (independent t-test and ANOVA) and the severity of different symptoms among different age groups. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to further analyze the multivariate relationships between meteorological factors, dust storm intensity, air pollution level, and severity degree of the different symptoms. The results show that significant correlations exist between dust storm intensity, air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, O3, SO2, NO2, and CO), meteorological factors, and health symptoms. During dusty weather, no matter the age group, the number of respondents who suffered from different health symptoms was higher compared to non-dusty days. Three types of dusty days were considered in this study: suspended dust, blowing dust, and sand storms. The impacts of sand storm weather on public health are stronger than those from blowing dust weather, suspended dust weather (haze), and non-dust weather. The people in the age groups above 60 years and below 15 years were more sensitive to different dust weather than people in the age groups between 15 and 60. "Dry throat with bitter taste", "Depression", "Dry and itchy throat", and "Mouth ulcer" are the main symptoms caused by dust storms.

Keywords: PCA; Taklimakan desert; air pollutants; dust weather; health effects; symptoms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Location and surrounding environment of the study area.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Air pollutant concentrations in different dust weather conditions.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The severity of different health symptoms in different dusty weather conditions. Note: S1: dry throat with bitter taste, S2: tears, S3: runny nose, S4: sneeze, S5: dry eyes, S6: shortness of breath, S7: chest tightness, S8: cough, S9: depression, S10: expectoration, S11: stuffy nose, S12: dry and itchy throat, S13: hoarseness, S14: cleft lip, and S15: mouth ulcer.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The severity of different health symptoms for different age groups. Note: S1: dry throat with bitter taste, S2: tears, S3: runny nose, S4: sneeze, S5: dry eyes, S6: shortness of breath, S7: chest tightness, S8: cough, S9: depression, S10: expectoration, S11: stuffy nose, S12: dry and itchy throat, S13: hoarseness, S14: cleft lip, and S15: mouth ulcer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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