Update-Exposure to dust events and hospitalizations in West Texas cities: The human health consequences of dust

Texas, including the High Plains andChihuahuan Desert, is one of the dustiest regions in the United States, with dusty weather observed on average 29 days per year in Lubbock and 22 days per year in El Paso in recent decades. 1 Although soil dust, being a "natural" substance, may have originally been thought to be relatively benign in comparison to anthropogenic air pollutants, in the last few decades, multiple studies have clearly shown that human exposure to windblown dust is associated with adverse health effects, particularly respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease. 2 Two recent studies in West Texas cities, El Paso and Lubbock, have revealed a statistically significant increase in hospital admissions for wide ranges of additional conditions in the days following dust events.