Effects of Desert Dust and Sandstorms on Human Health: A Scoping Review. (1st March 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lwin, Kaung Suu; Tobias, Aurelio; Chua, Paul Lester; Yuan, Lei; Thawonmas, Ramita; Ith, Sophearen; Htay, Zin Wai; Yu, Lin Szu; Yamasaki, Lisa; Roqué, Marta; Querol, Xavier; Fussell, Julia C.; Nadeau, Kari Christine; Stafoggia, Massimo; Saliba, Najat A.; Sheng Ng, Chris Fook; Hashizume, Masahiro
• Is Part Of: GeoHealth. Volume 7:Number 3(2023)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2023-03-01
• Subjects: desert dust -- scoping review -- sandstorm -- epidemiology -- health; Environmental health -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 616.98
• DOI: 10.1029/2022GH000728
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2471-1403

Abstract

Abstract: Desert dust and sandstorms are recurring environmental phenomena that are reported to produce serious health risks worldwide. This scoping review was conducted to identify the most likely health effects of desert dust and sandstorms and the methods used to characterize desert dust exposure from the existing epidemiological literature. We systematically searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus to identify studies that reported the effects of desert dust and sandstorms on human health. Search terms referred to desert dust or sandstorm exposure, names of major deserts, and health outcomes. Health effects were cross‐tabulated with study design variables (e.g., epidemiological design and methods to quantify dust exposure), desert dust source, health outcomes and conditions. We identified 204 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the scoping review. More than half of the studies (52.9%) used a time‐series study design. However, we found a substantial variation in the methods used to identify and quantify desert dust exposure. The binary metric of dust exposure was more frequently used than the continuous metric for all desert dust source locations. Most studies (84.8%) reported significant associations between desert dust and adverse health effects, mainly for respiratory and cardiovascular mortality and morbidity causes. Although there is a large body of evidence on the health effects of desert dust and sandstorms, the existing epidemiological studies have significant limitations related to exposure measurement and statistical analysis that potentially contribute to inconsistencies in determining the effect of desert dust on human health. Plain Language Summary: Desert dust and dust storms are recurring environmental phenomena and have been reported to cause serious health hazards worldwide. A scoping review was conducted of the existing epidemiological literature to identify and categorize the methods used to characterize desert dust exposure and the most likely health effects of desert dust and dust storms. We identified 204 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the scoping review. More than half (52.9%) of the studies employed time series and case‐crossover study designs; 84.8% reported a significant association between desert dust and adverse health outcomes. Although most studies reported adverse health effects, existing studies have significant limitations in exposure measurement and statistical analysis, which may lead to inconsistencies in determining the health effects of desert dust. Key Points: Desert dust and sandstorms are recurring environmental phenomena that are reported to produce serious health risks worldwide Inconsistencies in exposure definitions and modeling strategies may have contributed to the observed heterogeneity in the effect estimates Developing a standardized research protocol could be a vital step toward better assessing the association between desert dust and health