'Wear A Face Mask': Densest Saharan Dust In 60 Years Moves Across Georgia

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A man and his son are silhouetted against the sky as they watch the sunset from a park in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, June 26, 2020. Sunsets and sunrises are more vibrant than usual lately due to dust in the atmosphere from a Saharan dust cloud. / AP

The Georgia Department of Public Health is urging people to use caution outdoors as the densest Saharan dust in the last 50 to 60 years moves across the state.

If it appears hazy or dusty outside, limit outdoor activities such as yard work and exercise, the agency said in a statement. The health department also recommended wearing a face mask outside "to keep dust particles out of the nose and mouth, and to help prevent the spread of COVID-19."

"The dust can cause eye, nose and throat irritation for anyone who comes in contact with it, and may cause wheezing in people with allergies or asthma," the health department said.

Dust plumes from the Sahara routinely blow toward the United States across the Atlantic at this time of year, but the cloud is "quite large" this year, said Marshall Shepherd, director of the Atmospheric Sciences Program at the University of Georgia, in an interview on NPR's All Things Considered.

"I think that's why it's garnering so much attention," he said.

Animation of #SaharanDust plumes from June 7th to today from @zoom_earth pic.twitter.com/sZMz3avNDy— Zoom Earth (@zoom_earth) June 16, 2020

On Sunday, the air quality was listed as Code Orange, which means air quality conditions are unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as people with asthma, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

People with lung disease, older adults and children are at a greater risk from exposure to ozone, whereas persons with heart and lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from the presence of particles in the air.

The AQI values, which are calculated for the four major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act (ground level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide) run from a range of 0 to 500, with the 301-500 range signifying hazardous air quality conditions.  This hazardous range is considered a Code Maroon.

The technical name for the phenomenon is the "Saharan Air Layer," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"This layer can travel and impact locations thousands of miles away from its African origins," the agency says, "which is one reason why NOAA uses the lofty perspective of its satellites to track it."

The dust is expected to be in Georgia for the next few days, the health department said Saturday night.

Health experts recommend keeping indoor air as clean as possible by shutting windows and doors and running an air conditioner with the fresh-air intake closed.

"Follow the advice of your doctor or other health care provider about medicines and condition management if you have asthma or another lung condition," the health department said. "If you experience a medical emergency, call 911."