Saharan dust: Bay Area starting to see relief from potential health effects

TAMPA, Fla. - About 66 million tons of dust rolls over the ocean and into the U.S. every year. Particles of the Saharan dust cloud rolled into Tampa Bay this week, coming all the way from the Saharan Desert in northern Africa.

By Friday, most of it had dissipated from the Tampa Bay area, but it can cause air quality issues and health effects when it's in town.

"I ran five days this week and noticed every morning it’s been super hazy; runs have been a lot hotter than usual. I was like ‘is it just the florida summer heat or is it something else going on?'" said Tampa runner Travis Smith.

It can look just like a cloudy day, but the dry, dusty air could have big health impacts for those at risk – and for anyone looking to enjoy outdoor activities.

"These effects can be, for people with preexisting conditions, things such as flare-ups of asthma, flare-ups of their bronchitis and flare-ups of respiratory conditions. The symptoms are, usually, they can lead to, like, cough, shortness of breath, wheezing," said Dr. Sam Samarrai, family medicine physician in Pinellas County. "Those fine particles can get deep into the lungs and they can cause people with allergies, such as people that never had allergies before, they can actually develop allergies to the dust from the Saharan. You know, people never been there. So you can get increased sneezing, increased coughing, itchy eyes."

Dr. Sam Samarrai says when the cloud is here, hydrate to get those particles out of your system and wear a mask, or consider an air filter for your home.

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