Saharan dust degrades air quality - NEPA reports uptick in harmful pollutants as health officials urge vulnerable to limit exposure

The air quality over sections of Kingston and St Andrew has deteriorated in recent days as the Saharan dust now drifting across Jamaica has triggered an uptick in particulate matter or PM 2.5 pollutants, the authorities have disclosed.

PM 2.5 is defined by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) as the “finer fraction of particulate matter that can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the blood stream”.

“This can cause decreased visibility and have significant impacts on human and environmental health. This can especially aggravate respiratory conditions,” the NEPA said on Friday in response to questions submitted by The Gleaner.

The NEPA is Jamaica’s environment regulatory authority.

Saharan dust is a massive, dry plume of sand and mineral particles lifted from the Sahara Desert and transported thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean by the prevailing trade winds. 

It often reaches the Caribbean, the United States Gulf Coast, and parts of Europe during the spring and summer.

The NEPA said data collected on May 27 and 28 at two monitoring sites located in Cross Roads and on Spanish Town Road, both in St Andrew, indicated an “uptick” in PM 2.5 levels but noted that in both cases, the readings were below the daily ambient air-quality standard of 35 microgram per cubic metre (pgm).

The Spanish Town Road station had readings of 33 and 32 pgm for the respective days while the Cross Road station recorded 20 and 24 pgm.

The NEPA acknowledged that the Six Miles area, where the Spanish Town Road monitoring station is located, is “usually an area with poor air quality”.

It cited data recorded at the location on May 14 and 15 when the PM 2.5 levels were at 36 pgm, just eclipsing the daily standard air quality.

The regulatory body noted that the data captured on May 14 and 15 were “not directly related to the Saharan dust intrusion” but acknowledged that the air quality within the Spanish Town Road area has ranged from “moderate to unhealthy” for sensitive groups.

“Sensitive groups within the Spanish Town Road (Six Miles) area must take the appropriate measures as advised by the Ministry of Health and Wellness to protect themselves during the passage of the dust plume over the next several days,” the NEPA said.

“While Cross Roads has not exceeded the daily ambient air quality standard PM 2.5, the air quality has deteriorated from good to moderate,” it added, noting that “moderate air quality usually means persons who are sensitive to air pollution will begin to experience some effects”.

A statement issued by the health ministry on the weekend urged Jamaicans to limit their exposure to the Saharan dust, warning that the dust particles can increase the risk of respiratory illnesses, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), respiratory infections, and allergies.

One medical doctor reported that six out of every 10 patients he saw last week had sinonasal symptoms such as runny nose, post-nasal drip, and throat itching. “I don’t think we will see the full impact until next week,” one doctor told The Gleaner on Friday.

However, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton disclosed on Saturday that “there is no information it has led to any hospitalisation”.

livern.barrett@gleanerjm.com