We predicted the impact of desiccant degradation on the performance of an open-cycle desiccant cooling system in ventilation mode using the degradation data on silica gel obtained from a previous study. The degradation data were based on thermal cycling desiccant samples and exposing them to ambient or contaminated air. Depending on the degree of desiccant degradation, the decrease in the thermal coefficient of performance (COP) and the cooling capacity of the system for low-temperature regeneration was 10 percent to 35 percent. The 35 percent loss occurred based on the worst-case desiccant degradation scenario. Under more realistic conditions the loss in system performance is expected to be lower.