Dust Storms of Asia

A series of dust clouds originating with distinct wind events over Asia two weeks ago, have made their way across the Pacific and spread a whitish haze across half of the U.S., sources say.

Gene Feldman, a scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD said aircraft have been monitoring the particulates in the dust clouds. Apparently, the dust clouds picked up industrial pollution from two of China's largest cities and are now blanketing the mid-Western United States with this matter. Dr. Feldman said, "At one time, the dust cloud was bigger than Japan."

As early as 1998, scientists were claiming that industrial pollution from China was spreading to the United States where pollution in the U.S. was rising to two-thirds the federal health limits. The current storm proves this theory to be true. Pollution from Asia is reaching in the U.S. in alarming amounts.

The particulates in the dust clouds that reduce visibility and cause respiratory problems have not been measured in such high volume since Mt. St. Helens erupted, and even then, the particulates did not reach the ground as they are in this case.

The dust storms could even reach the Eastern U.S., but experts say they will probably dissipate as they move across the midwest.