The effect of Asian dust events on the daily symptoms in Yonago, Japan: a pilot study on healthy subjects.

The occurrence of Asian dust events is a frequent problem, with associated health issues throughout Northeast Asia. However, the effects of Asian dust on human health are not well known in Japan. The authors evaluated the association between daily symptoms and dust events in Yonago, Japan. The subjects were 54 healthy individuals who were distributed survey sheets on nasopharyngeal, ocular, respiratory, and skin symptoms, which were quantified in February 2009. The authors investigated the symptoms of the subjects on Asian dust days and control days, and compared the symptom scores with measures of suspended particulate matter (SPM), which is the indicator of Asian dust. The scores for symptoms were significantly higher on Asian dust days than on control days (p=.020). The skin symptom scores were positively correlated with the SPM level (p<.001). These results provide preliminary evidence that Asian dust influence the symptoms of healthy subjects, although the symptoms are not severe.