Recent dust episodes pushed air pollution well above safe limits, prompting fresh warnings for vulnerable groups and renewed scrutiny of why such events are becoming more frequent.
A fresh wave of dust has returned to Cyprus this week, coinciding with unsettled weather conditions and reviving concerns over air quality and public health. Measurements recorded across the island in recent days show particulate matter levels far exceeding EU safety thresholds, underlining a pattern that experts say is no longer exceptional.
High pollution levels recorded last week
According to data from the Department of Labour Inspection, multiple monitoring stations across Cyprus recorded PM10 concentrations well above the EU daily limit of 50 micrograms per cubic metre during the last week of January and the start of February.
On 27 January, PM10 levels reached 172.9 micrograms per cubic metre in Paphos and 163.4 in Larnaca, while Limassol recorded 122.9. On 30 January, concentrations spiked dramatically, with readings of 445.4 in Paphos and nearly 495 in Ayia Marina Xyliatou, levels classified as very high and considered harmful even for healthy individuals.
Authorities issued repeated dust episode warnings, urging the public to limit outdoor activity until conditions improved.
Health risks and official warnings
Cypriot authorities consistently warn that elevated dust levels pose particular risks to children, older people and those with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions. During dust episodes, residents are advised to avoid prolonged exposure outdoors and to reduce physical exertion.
There is also a workplace safety dimension. Employers are required to assess risks for outdoor workers during dust events and to take protective measures, including organisational changes or the use of personal protective equipment where necessary.
Medical research on Eastern Mediterranean dust storms has linked such events to increases in hospital admissions and daily mortality, largely due to the ability of fine particles to penetrate deep into the lungs and aggravate existing conditions.
Why Cyprus is seeing dust more often
Meteorologists point to low pressure systems over the eastern Mediterranean as the immediate trigger, lifting dust from North Africa, particularly from Libya, and transporting it eastwards towards Cyprus.
Longer-term data suggest a clear upward trend. Studies show that the number of dust storm days affecting Cyprus increased steadily between the late 1990s and late 2000s, rising by roughly one to two additional dust days per year during that period. Researchers say the trend has continued in the years since.
Climate change is increasingly cited as a contributing factor. Warmer temperatures, prolonged droughts and land degradation in source regions make dust more easily airborne, while shifting atmospheric circulation patterns favour its transport towards the eastern Mediterranean.
A recurring challenge
While dust episodes were once treated as sporadic disruptions, they are now a recurring feature of Cyprus’s climate reality. Each event brings renewed pressure on health services, workplaces and daily life, while also raising broader questions about adaptation in a region already warming faster than the global average.