Volcanoes and Natural Pollution in Hawaii
Vog and the nature of eruptions within the island.
Most pollution within the air in our ecosystem is directly caused by human faults. Surprisingly though, there are some cases in which air pollution stems from natural causes. A perfect example of this is the island of Hawaii. This small colony of islands off the west coast of the continental United States consists of many natural volcanic structures all throughout its masses. Many of these volcanoes are currently active, producing eruptions that leave behind emissions.
In the case of volcanoes, eruptions release large amounts of sulfur dioxide into the air, leaving behind an exceptionally contaminated ecosystem. SO2, as well as a mixture of extracted chemicals from the eruptions, make up the substance of what is Vog. These emission levels penetrate the lungs of Hawaiian residents. Fortunately, side effects leave little harm to the people ingesting them.
The acute health effects caused by vog range anywhere from irritation of the eyes to congestion to sore throats. Most cardio respiratory health issues were minimal and caused no major harm to the participants in these particular studies.
Volcanic eruptions are one of the largest air contaminants naturally found on the planet. Compared to urban cities within the United States, these eruptions and chemical vogs leave an equivalent effect on its residents. Compared to human contaminants, volcanic vog affects human’s health and availability to resources very little. We must continue to bring awareness to the effects humans have on air pollution but it’s important to remember air pollution consists of both human and natural causes. This particular blog post about Hawaii is to protect its residents, bringing awareness and information to social media platforms.
References:
- Sutton, Jeff, et al. “Volcanic Air Pollution — A Hazard in Hawai`i.” Fact Sheet, Volcanic Air Pollution — A Hazard in Hawai`i; Fact Sheet 169–97, U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet, 14 Oct. 2004, pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs169–97/.
- Sutton, Jeff, et al. “Volcanic Air Pollution — A Hazard in Hawai`i.” Fact Sheet, Volcanic Air Pollution — A Hazard in Hawai`i; Fact Sheet 169–97, U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet, 14 Oct. 2004, pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs169–97/.
- Camara, Jorge G, and John Kenneth D Lagunzad. “Ocular Findings in Volcanic Fog Induced Conjunctivitis.” Hawaii Medical Journal 70.12 (2011): 262–265. Print.
- Longo, Bernadett M. “The Kilauea Volcano Adult Health Study : Nursing Research.” LWW, © 2009 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc., 2009, journals.lww.com/nursingresearchonline/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2009&issue=01000&article=00004&type=abstract.
- Jon-Pierre Michaud, Dmitry Krupitsky, John S. Grove, Bruce S. Anderson, Volcano Related Atmospheric Toxicants in Hilo and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Implications for Human Health, In NeuroToxicology, Volume 26, Issue 4, 2005, Pages 555–563, ISSN 0161–813X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2004.12.004.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0161813X04001627)
Keywords: Volcano; Gas; Aerosol; Toxicant; Health
