It is radioactive and poses a health hazard. Dangerous dust on tourist islands
The sad news concerns not only residents, but also tourists going to the Canary Islands. It was there that an alert was issued regarding harmful dust from the Sahara.
Radioactive elements circulate in the dust of the kalima that appeared over the holiday paradise. The Spanish islands are facing a serious problem and the government is warning. Situations may be made worse by bad weather conditions. Just a little bit of wind is enough to spread the substances even more. They cause serious health problems.
Radioactive dust over the Canary Islands. Health hazard
On February 1, 2024, the Government of the Canary Islands announced a threat alert. The information was provided by the Directorate-General for Emergency Situations. Toxic kalima dust came from the Sahara. It has been spotted often over the desert and in many other countries and has always caused panic. Quite recently, we mentioned that such elements were noticed even over Poland. They were also radioactive and very harmful.
This time it’s the popular holiday islands that have a problem. All people who go there on holiday may feel at risk. Chronically ill people, e.g. allergy or asthmatics, should be especially careful. The dangerous situation is expected to continue for the next few days, so everyone in the risk group should avoid trips to the place.
Tourists and residents are advised to avoid going outside and close doors and windows. It is also important to regularly hydrate the body and have appropriate medications at hand. You should also not exercise outdoors.
How harmful is radioactive dust?
Meteorological warnings indicate that dust is causing variable particle concentrations on the islands to the east. They range from 50 to 100 micrograms/m3 per day. Kalima sand dust is carried by the wind during a sandstorm, which often makes its path unpredictable. It settles in various European countries and then disappears.
Now the situation in the Canary Islands is particularly dangerous, because radioactive elements have been detected in the dust – isotope cesium – 137 and isotopes of beryllium and lead. These can harm not only people with lung diseases, but also cause changes in everyone’s body.
The substances may come from, among others: from nuclear tests carried out over the Algerian part of the Sahara in the early 1960s and controlled nuclear explosions. Research has also shown that even isotopes related to the explosion at nuclear power plants in Chernobyl or Fukushima were detected in the kalima dust.
