This review article points the existing gaps in health research and urgently calls for international, collaborative, and multidisciplinary health studies related to sand and dust storms (SDS).  This is a collaborative paper between WHO and WMO, notably with the participation of experts from the GAW Community (ARCH and GURME).

Abstract
Sand and dust storms increasingly threaten global environmental and public health. To date, 150 countries are directly affected, with more than 100 classified as non-dust source regions. With climate change, these storms are expected to become more frequent and severe. Despite international awareness and initiatives, such as those led by the UN, crucial knowledge gaps continue to hinder effective, evidence-based public responses to sand and dust storms. In this Viewpoint, we review existing gaps in health research and highlight four key research priorities: the comprehensive health effects of sand and dust storms, including short-term and long-term exposures, diseases, regions, and health outcomes; the key particle sizes and toxic components of particles during sand and dust storms; the design of multicentre studies accounting for region-specific exposure patterns; and research on health outcomes attributable to particulate matter mixtures dominated by windblown dust versus other sources. We urgently call for international, collaborative, and multidisciplinary health studies considering sand and dust storm exposure characteristics and for the adoption of scientifically robust epidemiological methods in these studies.

Tiantian Li, Aaron J Cohen, Michal Krzyzanowski, Can Zhang, Sophie Gumy, Pierpaolo Mudu, Pallavi Pant, Qian Liu, Haidong Kan, Shilu Tong, Siyu Chen, Utchang Kang, Sara Basart, N'Datchoh Evelyne Touré, Ali Al-Hemoud, Yinon Rudich, Aurelio Tobias, Xavier Querol, Kenza Khomsi, Fatin Samara, Masahiro Hashizume, Massimo Stafoggia, Mazen Malkawi, Shuxiao Wang, Maigeng Zhou, Xiaoming Shi, Guibin Jiang, Hongbing Shen,
Sand and dust storms: a growing global health threat calls for international health studies to support policy action,
The Lancet Planetary Health,
Volume 9, Issue 1,
2025,
Pages e34-e40,
ISSN 2542-5196,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00308-5.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542519624003085)

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