Breathing air suspension from the calima can cause cough, nasal obstruction, itchy eyes among other symptoms.
This phenomenon occurs in the atmosphere and is usually accompanied by dust and sand particles (and even ashes and clay). As a result, they leave a cloudy environment very annoying and suffocates many times.
Calima in Canary Islands.
La haze It has been part of our lives forever. Our geographical situation makes the presence of the calima a common weather phenomenon in our archipelago.
In the last 20 years, the waves of Calima have not doubled but tripled. So far this year, we have already had in Canary Islands 3 waves of calima grave. And although it may not seem logical, calima is more common in winter than in summer. This is due to the direction of the winds.
While in the summer months, the calima reaches our islands in the highest layers of the atmosphere, in winter they enter the lower levels and become a much greater threat. And, why is this happening?
When the calima is impregnated in that lower layer of the atmosphere, it mixes with other microscopic particles of bacteria, pollen, fungi and contaminating elements, and virus. And in urban areas, with greenhouse gasesand nitrogen dioxide (NO2), the ozone (O3) and the sulfur oxide (SO2).
What impact does calima have on our health?
Calima can generate several symptom related to respiratory problems and irritation of the mucous membranes, what usually generates the typical nasal obstruction, itchy eyes and even cough.
In addition, if the effects of suspended dust are persistent, as we have had lately, they may appear up to bronchospasm (severe breathing difficulties), chest pain and asthma
For all this, it is recommended to people with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases Take precautions and follow the following tips:
Calima in Canary Islands: tips for your health and precautions to take
- Close the windows and doors of houses.
- Clean properly the spaces that have remained open and in contact with the outside air.
- Wear masks if we go outside.
- Hydrate often.
Dr. Toral tells us about the effects for the canaries
We share below, a video interview that we do at Dr. Juan Toral Sánchez, where he tells us about the Calima in Canary Islands and the problems related to the health of the Canaries.
Climate change and its consequences in Canary Islands
Recently WHO published a study on the effects of climate change on public health With devastating results.
According to the study: “Global warming will have consequences that will put health at risk, such as catastrophic weather phenomena, climate variability, changes in the distribution of infectious disease outbreaks or emerging diseases related to ecosystem changes. ”
According to the latest numerous studies made in Canary Islands about the effects of climate change on the islands, we face future extreme rainfall, floods, tropical cyclones, droughts and heat waves, in addition to the increase in the frequency of calimas and atmospheric dust.
Calima in Canary Islands, how are you living in hospitals?
In the Canarian Hospitals these days respiratory infections have collapsed services. The University Hospital has added a dozen more beds in the Emergency Department and has duplicated the guards in Pulmonology.
To the prolonged situation of Calima has been added the flu epidemic that the canaries are currently going through; and that as we told you recently, it has been primed especially with the little ones at home and has packed the pediatric consultations.
