Saharan dust in Puerto Rico: how to protect yourself with asthma or allergies

According to NOAA, the Saharan Air Layer is a mass of very dry, dusty air that forms over the Sahara Desert in late spring, summer and early fall. It ramps up in mid-June, peaks from late June to mid-August, and begins to subside quickly after mid-August.

During the most active months, a new dust outbreak leaves the African coast every 3 to 5 days, and it can reach as far west as Florida, Central America and Texas.

Dust is a form of particle pollution. According to the EPA, breathing particles can irritate the airways, cause coughing or difficulty breathing, and aggravate asthma; in people with heart or lung disease it is linked to heart attacks and irregular heartbeat. People with heart or lung disease, children and older adults are the most likely to be affected.

NOAA advises people with asthma and other chronic lung diseases to take precautions to keep their condition under control and to reduce their exposure to dust. If you have allergies and notice more congestion, sneezing or itchy eyes on dusty days, see allergies. If symptoms continue indoors even without dust, think about mold too: according to the CDC, it can cause a stuffy nose, wheezing and red or itchy eyes in sensitive people, and severe reactions in people with asthma. Read mold exposure symptoms.

The CDC advises people with asthma to follow air quality forecasts. Check the Air Quality Index on AirNow (opens in a new tab) and the forecast from the National Weather Service in San Juan (opens in a new tab). According to the EPA:

Check that your rescue inhaler isn’t expired and still has doses, and keep using your controller medicine as prescribed. If you don’t have an asthma action plan, or your asthma isn’t well controlled, read about adult asthma treatment.

If you only need more of an inhaler you already use, that is a prescription refill. On heavy-dust days, exercise indoors or at times when the index is lower.

If Saharan dust has made your asthma or allergies worse but you have no emergency signs, Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, a Puerto Rico–licensed general practice physician with several years of emergency-department experience, can see you by video in English or Spanish. We evaluate, diagnose and treat. If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. We do not prescribe controlled substances. This is virtual urgent care for problems that are not emergencies.

A doctor visit costs US$79, the same price for every age, with no membership; your card is charged when you request it, with a full refund if the visit can’t take place. Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text. We send you a secure video link that works on your phone, tablet or computer. We see adults and children of all ages; for patients under 21, a parent or legal guardian stays on camera with photo ID. You need to be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit. Book your visit.

According to NHLBI (NIH), call 911 if your medicines are not relieving your symptoms during an asthma attack or if breathing is still very hard. With any of these signs, call 911 or go to an emergency room. See when to go to the ER.