State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 28;19(7):4022. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19074022.
Dust storms have already become the most serious environmental problem on the south edge of the Taklimakan desert because of their frequent occurrences. To investigate the health effects of dust storms on public health in Moyu County, one of the most severe dust-storm-affected areas located at the south edge of the Taklimakan desert, China, primary data were collected from 1200 respondents by using a questionnaire survey for 15 health symptoms. The data were analyzed by comparing the mean tool (independent t-test and ANOVA) and the severity of different symptoms among different age groups. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to further analyze the multivariate relationships between meteorological factors, dust storm intensity, air pollution level, and severity degree of the different symptoms. The results show that significant correlations exist between dust storm intensity, air pollutants (PM, PM, O, SO, NO, and CO), meteorological factors, and health symptoms. During dusty weather, no matter the age group, the number of respondents who suffered from different health symptoms was higher compared to non-dusty days. Three types of dusty days were considered in this study: suspended dust, blowing dust, and sand storms. The impacts of sand storm weather on public health are stronger than those from blowing dust weather, suspended dust weather (haze), and non-dust weather. The people in the age groups above 60 years and below 15 years were more sensitive to different dust weather than people in the age groups between 15 and 60. "Dry throat with bitter taste", "Depression", "Dry and itchy throat", and "Mouth ulcer" are the main symptoms caused by dust storms.
沙尘暴已经成为塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘最严重的环境问题，因为它们频繁发生。为了研究沙尘暴对位于塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘受沙尘暴影响最严重的地区之一的莫玉县公众健康的影响，通过问卷调查收集了 1200 名受访者的原始数据，共涉及 15 种健康症状。通过比较均值工具（独立 t 检验和 ANOVA）和不同年龄组中不同症状的严重程度，对数据进行了分析。主成分分析（PCA）用于进一步分析气象因素、沙尘暴强度、空气污染水平和不同症状严重程度之间的多变量关系。结果表明，沙尘暴强度、空气污染物（PM、PM、O、SO、NO 和 CO）、气象因素与健康症状之间存在显著相关性。在多尘天气下，无论年龄组如何，出现不同健康症状的受访者人数都高于无尘天气。本研究考虑了三种类型的多尘天气：悬浮尘、扬尘和沙尘暴。沙尘暴天气对公众健康的影响强于扬尘天气、悬浮尘天气（雾霾）和无尘天气。60 岁以上和 15 岁以下的人群比 15 至 60 岁之间的人群对不同的沙尘天气更为敏感。“咽干口苦”、“抑郁”、“咽干痒”和“口腔溃疡”是沙尘暴引起的主要症状。
