Valley Fever

In 2022, the BLM wrote that the spores that cause Valley Fever have been found in the soils of the playa.

"Present/Not Affected Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) is an infection caused by breathing in spores of the fungus Coccidioides (CDC 2020). The fungus is known to live in soils in the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails NCA, including the Black Rock Desert playa (BLM 2019c). The Black Rock Desert playa also contains alkaline gypsum and silica dust that can become airborne in high concentrations during high wind conditions (Adams and Sada 2010). Exposure to alkaline gypsum dust with a silica component is regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a known carcinogen. Project workers may be temporarily exposed to these risk factors during surface-disturbing activities on the playa, especially during high winds. However, the temporary nature of potential exposure, lasting the duration of construction, would limit the overall risk"

"2019c. Public Health and Safety at the Burning Man Event. Burning Man Event Special Recreation Permit Environmental Impact Statement. BLM Winnemucca District, Winnemucca, Nevada"

However the 2019c source is less positive about Valley Fever on the playa.

"Widespread illness is a risk if the flu or norovirus infects attendees and is addressed in the human health concerns section of this document. Valley Fever is a known risk in conditions presented on the Black Rock Desert. Valley Fever has not presented itself during the Burning Man Event, but the possibility of this disease vector is ever present in the austere environment of the Black Rock High Rock National Conservation Area in Pershing County, Nevada. (More information is available at: https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/coccidioidomycosis/causes.html."

A 2022 news report stated that there were concerns about people returning from the Playa with Valley Fever.