Massive, record-setting dust storms are prompting concerns of worsening air quality in Phoenix.

The city and its suburbs have been consumed by miles-high walls of dirt and debris in recent weeks and researchers are concerned about increasing particulate matter, which is dangerous to children and others with respiratory problems. Particulate matter contains liquid droplets and particles such as dust, dirt, soot or smoke. Other particulates are so small they can only be detected with an electron microscope.

Glory Hammes, CEO of the North American division of the air quality monitoring company IQAir, said respiratory issues are a given for people vulnerable to particulates but cardiac issues remain underreported.

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"Second to respiratory issues, heart health is the most affected area of the body that is affected by particulate matter," Hammes pointed out.

The Phoenix suburbs have been ranked among the dirtiest in the nation due to the dust storms in recent weeks. Emergency room and urgent care visits are typically up in the Phoenix area following major dust storms, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Hammes added officials in Phoenix have issued dangerous and relatively rare "air quality episode" alerts following recent dust storms. While elevated levels of fine particulate matter are dangerous for children, the elderly and immunocompromised people, particulate levels have exceeded safety standards even for healthy adults.

"They might sound just like numbers but they're pretty significant because these kinds of numbers are in the category of being very unhealthy for normal people," Hammes explained.

Air quality data in the Phoenix area is typically measured in real time, letting residents know how safe the air is during and after a dust storm, as well as how long the effects of the event last.