It began in the wilderness. Strong winds pick up soil and blow it into the sky. Dust flies into the atmosphere. If the wind blows in the right direction (especially from the south), the debris will move to the north. It hit Spain. It hit Portugal. Covers the South of France. In some cases, they can advance further north and cover other parts of the country.
We see it before we feel it. The sky turned a strange gray-yellow. The sunset is so dazzling and beautiful that people call it the “sky of fire”. Of course it’s beautiful. But there’s a problem. That color is pollution.
There’s more to the air than sand. PM10 particles. When concentrations increase rapidly, air quality deteriorates rapidly. For people with lung conditions like asthma and emphysema, this is a nightmare. Doctors do not recommend strenuous outdoor activities. It’s not worth running through this fog.
But something darker lurks within the yellow mist.
Radioactive shadows in the dust of the Sahara desert
Saharan dust clouds are more than just silica and dirt. They carry history on their shoulders. In particular, it carries radiation.
Between 1960 and 1966, France conducted controversial nuclear tests in the Sahara desert. The soil absorbs the sediment. Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope from those tests, cesium-137, sinks into the sand. Now the same sand is being blown back to Europe. The circle is complete.
Radioactive particles travel on the same winds that bring dust.
Does this mean we are exposed to dangerous levels of radiation? Not necessarily. ACRO (Association for the Control of Radioactivity in the West) has been concerned about the situation for several years. Their data suggests that the levels are low. Even in the most violent sandstorms, this is insignificant.
Still, the presence of cesium-137 in Europe’s atmosphere is a direct result of decisions made in the desert during the Cold War. The wind knows no bounds. It is apolitical. Just move what’s there.
So when you look at that fiery sunset, remember that it is beautiful. It is also a reminder of what was buried and what the wind still brings back.
