Wild theories flood the internet Saharan dust revives conspiracy theories

There has been a lot of Saharan dust in the air again for a few days now. This has also revived conspiracy theories.

Dust particles from the Sahara desert are spread across the globe thanks to winds, turning the sky orange-reddish and clouding visibility. They settle on houses and plants, cover clothes and car roofs.

This natural phenomenon has also been observed in Switzerland for days. A high concentration is to be expected from midday today until Tuesday night, as the weather service Meteonews writes in a press release.

A video on TikTok is now unsettling some people with the claim: "It's not sand!" It is suspected that the sandy deposits are not natural products of the desert.

The footage shows a man scraping Saharan dust together on a car. He uses a magnet to demonstrate that the dust reacts to it and is attracted to it. A real feast for conspiracy theorists.

"Chemical dust" instead of Saharan sand

It is not Saharan sand, but "chemical dust", according to the comments: Connections are being made to so-called chemtrails. People in conspiracy circles believe that special contrails in the sky are used to spread poison around the world.

In fact, Saharan dust contains iron particles - and these are magnetic.

According to MeteoSwiss, meteorologists in Switzerland measure between ten and 35 Saharan dust events every year. Most of them occur in spring and fall.

From tomorrow, Saharan dust will no longer be an issue in this country. The dust particles in the air will disappear with the rainy cold weather front.