NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) – We may be dealing with an air quality alert this weekend, thanks to a cloud of dust traveling from the Sahara desert.
“I don’t want to scare people, but it’s one of those things, use common sense,” said Gail Frost, executive director of the Tennessee Chapter of the American Lung Association.
“This is a common event. This happens year after year after year,” said Dr. Aaron Milstone, a pulmonologist at Williamson Medical Center.
A plume may be common, but not so. Dr. Milstone says that the cloud is so large that it can be seen from space. “They are usually faint and poorly particulate. Just last week, the international space station was able to look down to Earth and see this gigantic dust cloud approaching,” he said.
Beyond size, the impact on Middle Tennessee’s air quality is also a major concern. Frost is urging anyone with a lung condition to stay indoors this weekend.
“Most of the dust we will see will be high in the atmosphere, but there will be a significant amount that will get close to the surface,” Frost said.
If you have to go out, avoid exercising and wear an N-95 mask if you have one. Dr. Milstone says that a cloth mask is better than nothing, but it is not ideal. “Because these particles in the Sahara dust cloud are so fine and so small, you really need a more suitable mask,” said Milstone.
If all else fails, Milstone recommends breathing using your nose. “The nose helps to moisten the air, and that will help trap some of those dust particles,” he said.
This comes in an already difficult year for someone with a respiratory illness, considering COVID-19. “2020 is not our best sample,” said Milstone. “Don’t panic, we can be prepared for this.”
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