Little is known about the health risks associated with mineral dust inhalation during a dust storm. In this study, we investigated health effects associated with regional atmospheric dust deposited on surfaces in Dajing Town, Wuwei City, an inland region in northwest China that suffers frequent dust storms. The sand sample was collected and ball-milled to obtain inhalable mineral dust with an average diameter of ≤ 1.0 μm, which was well-dispersed in saline. The mineral dust was administered via 1 hour of inhalation to male Wistar rats at a dose of 2 to 10 mg dust/kg body weight, once every other day for 20 weeks. The liver function, peripheral T-cell subtypes, serum levels of reactive oxygen species, proinflammatory cytokines, and histopathological changes in the major organs following the last exposure were evaluated. Rats exposed to mineral dust exhibited both respiratory damage and extrapulmonary effects, as evidenced by an increased organ somatic index and the histopathological examination results. These data demonstrated that mineral dust in this area could penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter blood circulation, where it could activate an oxidative stress response, induce proinflammatory cytokine production, and eventually lead to a homeostatic imbalance of T-lymphocyte subsets and tissue damage.