Press
Massive dust clouds from the Sahara are burying Greece. However, the impressive natural spectacle has a downside: the hospitals are full.
Athens – The sky over Greece’s capital shines blood red. Large amounts of Saharan dust were blown from Africa into the Mediterranean country. The weather phenomenon reached its peak on Tuesday (April 23). The deep red clouds are now slowly moving away, but they have left their mark.
Large amounts of Saharan dust over Greece: Many people in hospitals in Athens and Crete
Significantly more people than appeared in the emergency rooms of Athens hospitals when the Saharan dust blanketed the city. The symptoms: shortness of breath, cough and chest pain. According to the newspaper To Proto Theme Shara dust alarm also applied in Crete and Kalamanta. Numerous people presented to pulmonology practices here.
The Greek Pulmonology Association had already warned. Desert dust can be contaminated with dangerous bacteria, fungi or pollen. “A highly toxic mixture.” People with existing respiratory diseases or Allergies were asked to wear sunglasses and masks. African dust also contains tiny particles that can enter the lungs. It can possibly also promote cardiovascular diseases.
Sahara dust can be harmful to health – Federal Environment Agency warns
In fact, health problems can occur if sensitive people are exposed to Sahara dust for a long time. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), people with asthmatic symptoms are particularly affected. The Federal Environment Agency writes similarly: “It can be assumed that desert dust, when it occurs close to the ground, has a negative effect on human life Health and promotes the development of respiratory diseases and their worsening.”
![Sahara dust in Greece: The Acropolis and other Athens landmarks took on a Mars-like hue on Tuesday.](https://www.merkur.de/assets/images/34/412/34412667-saharastaub-in-griechenland-die-akropolis-und-andere-wahrzeichen-athens-nahmen-am-dienstag-einen-marsaehnlichen-farbton-an-21di04V1KeBG.jpg)
Weather phenomena occur frequently in Greece – desert dust also often occurs over Germany
Due to climatic conditions, the Attica region around Athens is regularly affected by the phenomenon, especially in spring and autumn, meteorologists told the daily newspaper Kathimerini. Warm southern winds carrying dust from Africa meet cooler currents from the north, causing the dust-carrying warm air to rise to heights of up to two kilometers and remain there. Storms also repeatedly carry Saharan dust to Germany. Because the dust particles reflected the sun's rays, the sky glowed hazy red, said Nikos Michalopoulos from the National Observatory of Athens. (moe/dpa)
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