Australia is a dry land, and Australian dust storms are neither unusual nor irregular. The most spectacular in recent memory was the 1983 Melbourne dust storm, but there were many during the 1930s and 1940s including the Adelaide 1944-1945 storm where the streets were so darkened by the dust that street lights were left on during the day. More recently, a huge storm blew through country NSW and Queensland in 2002. Caused by droughts when central Australia’s distinctively red topsoil dries, a good strong wind whips up a dust cloud that is both spectacular and frightening.
Recent dust storms reminded us again not just of the power of the weather but the pervasiveness of Australia’s red dust. It’s been getting into people’s houses, killing wildlife, endangering people’s health and even causing false fire alarms when the dust got into equipment.
These storms can travel for huge distances and particles from last week’s dust storm not only affected homes in the ACT, NSW and Queensland but it has even been detected in New Zealand—2,150 kilometres away.
The health effects of a dust storm can be bad for children; the elderly; people with respiratory conditions; people with heart disease; and people with diabetes. And the finer the particles of dust, the deeper into the respiratory tract and lungs they can go. Worryingly, the finer the particles, the more likely they are to also get into your home as well to cause these problems.
Protecting your family’s health during a dust storm means preparation. The equipment available to protect the air you breathe from these invasive particles is a necessity. For example, Andatech’s Coway AP-1008DH unit removes these particles and provides real-time information about the quality of the air being breathed. : a home might be surrounded in an eerie red light, but imagine the relief felt seeing that an air purifier is showing that the air in a home remains safe and clean.
For mor information on dust and it's effects, visit Andatech Corporation Pty Ltd