Dust storms are becoming increasingly dangerous worldwide, exposing billions of people to hazardous air pollution and triggering widespread health crises. According to new research reported by Mongabay, these “supercharged” storms are not only growing more frequent but also more intense, creating a global public health emergency.

The numbers are staggering: between 2018 and 2022, approximately 3.8 billion people were exposed to dust levels that exceed World Health Organization safety standards—a 31% increase from 2003-2007. The WHO and World Meteorological Organization now estimate that massive sand and dust storms affect 330 million people annually, leading to outbreaks of respiratory and infectious diseases across affected regions.

“The frequency and severity of sand and dust storms is increasing globally,” explains Aaron Cohen, a scientist with the Health Effects Institute. These storms don’t just carry sand and dust—they pick up various pollutants as they travel vast distances, creating a toxic cocktail that threatens human health far from the storm’s origin.

Climate change is the primary culprit behind this escalation. Rising temperatures, combined with vegetation loss and deteriorating soil health, are supercharging storm systems and pushing them closer to populated areas. The evidence is clear: hurricane wind speeds in the North Atlantic increased by nearly 30 kilometers per hour between 2019 and 2023 alone. As Ralf Toumi from Imperial College London’s Grantham Research Institute notes, “The climate change component is adding that extra intensity” to these already dangerous weather events.