Dust storms and wind erosion cause $154 billion in damages annually, UTEP study shows

EL PASO, Texas (Feb. 11, 2025) – A windy, dusty day can ruin your new car wash and leave you with grit in your mouth and dirt on your floors. But a new study in the journal Nature Sustainability, published by researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso, George Mason University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, estimates that the societal costs of blowing dust and wind erosion go far beyond personal inconvenience, totaling approximately $154 billion per year across the United States. 

“It might seem strange to think that tiny specks of dust could add up to such huge consequences,” said study co-author Thomas Gill, Ph.D., professor of earth, environmental and resource sciences at UTEP. “This should be a wake-up call that blowing dust is a major expense and creates great societal harm.”

The new estimate puts the economic impact of dust events on par with some of the most costly and destructive natural disasters, like hurricanes and other storms, and points to the importance of dust mitigation efforts. While wind erosion — the process by which wind moves soil across a landscape — is natural, Gill said it has been exacerbated by human land use, drought and declining water resources, making the U.S. a dustier place.   

The study compiled the costs of wind erosion across several sectors of the economy, including healthcare, transportation, agriculture, renewable energy and households, to reach the $154 billion total, which is likely an underestimate, Gill said. The authors based their estimates on data from 2017, the year with the most complete sets of information available and an average level of dust activity.

“This more recent baseline estimate presents an opportunity to both expand data collection and establish a more comprehensive understanding of wind erosion effects in the United States,” explained the study’s lead author, Irene Feng, a doctoral student from George Mason University. “Although our team’s analysis incorporates inflation and was affected by the timing of when all data could be correlated, it clearly demonstrates the extreme multi-billion dollar economic impacts of wind erosion.” 

Healthcare

Despite blowing dust being a natural phenomenon, Gill said that dust contains ultra-fine particles that can become lodged in the lungs and exacerbate asthma, bronchitis and other upper respiratory illnesses. In the study, researchers focused on the impact of Valley Fever, an infectious disease that’s prevalent in the southwestern U.S. and caused when people inhale airborne fungi spores. Valley Fever alone results in about $2.7 billion per year in medical costs, on top of hidden costs such as lost wages during treatment. 

Gill noted that individuals can protect themselves from the health impacts of dust by avoiding outdoor work and exposure on windy days if possible, wearing a face mask outside and avoiding driving in dusty conditions. 

Transportation 

Researchers estimated a dust-related cost of at least $250 million in 2017 due to car accidents and fatalities in low-visibility situations caused by dust storms. 

Agriculture 

Wind erosion caused a $10 billion loss in agricultural productivity in 2017 due to lost mass, moisture and nutrients in soil.

Renewable Energy 

Dust can make solar energy systems less effective by blocking sunlight and creating grime buildup on panels, Gill said, as well as decrease the performance of wind turbines. The combined cost in the wind and solar energy sector in 2017 was approximately $4 billion.

Household Impact

Blowing dust led to $40 billion in damage to homes and landscaping in 2017. Gill said current annual totals are likely higher because of a reported increase in dust activity from the 1990s to the 2000s.

The study concluded that dust mitigation efforts — like conservation agricultural practices that help soil remain rooted in the ground — could yield significant economic benefits. One practice known as reduced or no-till agriculture focuses on leaving plant residues in place after a crop is harvested rather than plowing the soil. The residues create a barrier against wind erosion and prevent nutrient and water loss. 

“The Dust Bowl in the 1930’s was economically and socially devastating and happened because of poor land management and agricultural practices during a major drought,” Gill said. “We should see it as a warning to avoid a similar catastrophe in the future.” 

The study was funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Health and Air Quality Program and Interdisciplinary Research in Earth Science program. Future research will focus on collecting additional data to further pinpoint the annual costs of wind erosion.

 

About The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 25,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 171 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.

About George Mason University

George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., George Mason enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. George Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. This multidisciplinary collaboration features researchers from George Mason’s College of Science and College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Learn more at gmu.edu.

---

---