Communities downwind from Kilauea Volcano’s active vents frequently experience vog as a visible haze or sulfurous smell or taste. People exposed to vog report a variety of symptoms, such as eye irritation, coughing, wheezing, sore throats and headaches. ADVERTISING Communities
Communities downwind from Kilauea Volcano’s active vents frequently experience vog as a visible haze or sulfurous smell or taste. People exposed to vog report a variety of symptoms, such as eye irritation, coughing, wheezing, sore throats and headaches.
Several new informational products were co-developed by U.S. Geological Survey scientists Tamar Elias and Jeff Sutton at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, John Peard and other officials with the state Department of Health and Claire Horwell from Durham University in the United Kingdom, with participation by Hawaii County Civil Defense and other agencies.
The new products include a booklet of frequently asked questions, a brochure and poster about protecting yourself during vog episodes and a web-based “dashboard” that provides comprehensive links to a wide range of vog resources, including vog forecasts and air-quality information.
“The products offer advice on vog protection measures, such as staying indoors, limiting physical activity and staying hydrated when vog levels are high,” Horwell said. “Providing relevant, up-to-date information to a population living with decades of an ongoing volcanic eruption may help people to better cope with the frequent vog conditions.”
The new, mobile-friendly vog dashboard is hosted by the International Volcanic Health Hazard Network, a clearinghouse for information about the health impacts of volcanic eruptions.
All of the new Hawaii vog products are available online, and are accessible through the dashboard.
Vog, the pollution formed from acidic gases and particles released by active volcanoes, is composed primarily of sulfur dioxide gas and its oxidation products, such as sulfate aerosol. Sulfur dioxide from Kilauea Volcano, now in its 34th year of nearly continuous eruption, leads to the vog that challenges communities, agriculture and infrastructure throughout the state.
Scientists at HVO regularly monitor the quantity and composition of gases released from Kilauea. Among other things, HVO data are used as input for vog models that forecast the volcanic plume dispersion and vog locations.
For more information about Kilauea Volcano’s ongoing eruptions, visit HVO’s website or network with others on the Vog Talk Facebook group.
