Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080504/FEAT05/805040314/1023

Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Kevin Dayton ? The Honolulu Advertiser ? May 4, 2008

PAHALA, HAWAII ? Big Island residents take pride in their ability to tolerate and adapt to the elements. It isn't unusual in a single year for residents to put up with drought, long days of rain that can cause flooding or threats from wildfires.

Even so, the recent days of heavy volcanic emissions and light winds have been obnoxious and in some cases damaging, and have some residents worrying about the future.

The morning sun was a distant red spot in a sea of gray vog, or volcanic haze, in Hilo late last week. Teachers at some Big Island schools advised students to take recess indoors, and some elderly pedestrians walked through downtown Hilo with a handkerchief clamped over nose and mouth.

State and county officials say there hasn't been an increase in emergency medical calls because of respiratory problems or unusual numbers of emergency room visits in Hilo or Kona, but small Kau Hospital in Pahala has seen an estimated 50 percent increase in emergency room and clinic visits from people complaining of respiratory problems, said hospital administrator Merilyn Harris.

Pahala and the rest of Kau have received the brunt of the increased emissions from Kilauea since the volcano burst open a new vent at Halema'uma'u on March 12. Since then, federal ambient air quality standards for average 24-hour sulfur dioxide exposure were exceeded nine times in the past six weeks in Pahala, according to the state Department of Health.

Kona, the island's tourism hub, has suffered from thick vog. On April 15 and April 16, monitoring equipment detected particulate matter from the vog that exceeded National Ambient Air Quality Standards there for the first time since continuous monitoring began in March.

Federal officials closed Hawaii Volcanoes National Park twice because of concern that sulfur dioxide levels there were unsafe, evacuating about 2,000 people from research facilities, campgrounds and the Volcano House hotel along with popular tourist spots. The park reopened late last month.

All of this has played out in April, a month when Hawaii usually enjoys trade winds that blow volcanic emissions away from the more populated areas of Puna and Hilo. But a shift in the wind is inevitable, and will blow the emissions to more populated areas.

"Because this is going to be a long-term thing, it seems like the public is adjusting, tolerating, making their own personal life changes to minimize the risk, whether it be either staying indoors or leaving the area," said Big Island Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira.

Kau real estate broker Patti Barry said her granddaughter has been living with her for four years, but Barry is considering sending the girl to Maui to spend her senior year with her mother because the 16-year-old has mild asthma.

The girl has suffered from headaches, and "it's starting to cause a problem," Barry said. "I don't know what the doctors are saying about it, but I don't think our kids can handle this for long periods of time. I don't know what we're going to do."

Lt. Col. Trey Johnson, commander of the 93rd Civil Support Team of the Hawaii National Guard, has been studying the volcanic plumes from Halema'uma'u and Pu'u 'O'o since March, using a computer model to try to calculate where the different winds will blow sulfur dioxide.

The computer model may somewhat overstate the risk because it assumes that Pu'u 'O'o is producing 2,500 metric tons of sulfur dioxide per day, and that Halema'uma'u is producing 1,200 tons. In fact, Pu'u 'O'o has recently been producing about 1,700 tons, and Halema'uma'u about 1,000 tons, but those volumes vary from day to day.

"At this point, because this is really a new type of event, we really don't know (how long the emissions will continue)," said Don Thomas, director of the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes at the University of Hawaii-Hilo.

Mount Etna on the east coast of Sicily has produced substantial amounts of sulfur dioxide for a long time, and many South and Central American volcanoes go through extended episodes of very large gas releases.

"Yes, it does affect the downwind communities," Thomas said of those volcanoes. "Do they live with it? Yes. Do they live comfortably with it? Probably not.

"We haven't seen the full range of activity for Kilauea, and it may be uncomfortable, and it may be uncomfortable for quite a while."

At Aikane Plantation Coffee Co. in Pahala, coffee farmer Phil Becker said a gray film of ash has been covering vehicles and water troughs used by the 60 head of cattle on the property, and sometimes coats the arms of farm workers with a gray film as they brush against the leaves picking coffee.

Becker has lived in Kau for more than 50 years and his wife has lived there for generations, and neither has ever seen this much vog or ash before.

"It comes and goes. This morning we could hardly see; it was like being in a cloud," he said. "In the morning we clean the house, and in the afternoon there's a gray film over everything.

"You can feel it, it's a gritty feeling."

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354216,00.html

Volcanic Smog Blankets Hawaii in Toxic Gas
Tuesday, May 06, 2008

OCEAN VIEW, Hawaii ? For eight years, Tony and Sam Bayaoa have grown thousands of bright red, yellow and pink protea flowers on their farm.

Then last month, Kilauea volcano opened a new vent and began spewing double the usual amount of toxic gas.

Now about 70 percent of their crop is dried, brown and brittle.

"The first reaction was ? did someone poison the plants?" said Tony Bayaoa, whose two-acre farm is 35 miles from the volcano. "I've lost my livelihood."

Big Island crops are shriveling as sulfur dioxide from Kilauea wafts over them and envelops them in "vog," or volcanic smog. People are wheezing, and schoolchildren are being kept indoors during recess.

High gas levels led Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to close several days this month, forcing the evacuation of thousands of visitors.

Residents of this volcanic island are used to toxic gas. But this haze is so bad that farmers are thinking about growing different crops, and many people are worrying about their health.

Kirk Brewer, 33, an electrician who moved to the Big Island in 2006 from Southern California, blames his headaches and wife Tracy's itchy skin, sore throat and runny nose on the vog.

"It's a bummer when you go to the other islands and see how clear and blue it is, but we'll just deal with it," Brewer said.

When educator Ann Peterson of Kona went the bank last week, she and the teller were making the same noises in their throats. They looked at each other and said in unison, "Vog!"

Kilauea on the Big Island has been erupting continuously since 1983. But in mid-March, a new vent formed at the summit, giving Kilauea two large sulfur dioxide outlets instead of one.

Sulfur dioxide, a pollutant that is also generated by burning coal and oil, can lead to asthma and other respiratory illnesses and aggravate lung and heart disease. When combined with dust and sunlight, it makes vog. Mixed with atmospheric moisture, it produces acid rain.

Exceptionally thick gray-white vog has hovered over parts of the Big Island for weeks, particularly those areas downwind of the crater.

The wind has blown vog to Oahu, some 200 miles to the north, bathing Honolulu in a light haze. (The vog is no threat to the U.S. mainland, some 2,500 miles away.)

Some crops are doing fine. Coffee and macadamia nuts, two of the Big Island's mainstays, appear unaffected. Koa and ohia trees are healthy, but eucalyptus leaves are turning brown, as are Asiatic lilies.

Protea may be the hardest hit, though experts don't know why. The hand-size blossoms are used in tropical floral arrangements and are a $1.8 million-a-year business in the islands.

Kelvin Sewake of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture said he is not sure if it is the gas or acid rain that is killing the plants. He said Big Island protea growers have always suffered sulfur dioxide "burns," but he has never seen it this bad.

Dan Wegner, the biggest protea farmer in Ocean View, with about 15 acres, said he usually records $70,000 in annual sales. This year, he is not sure if he will reap half that.

"This is taking my viable business right now and putting it right in the dumper. I don't know what I'm going to do," Wegner said. "It's frightening."

One reason the vog is worse is that the new vent is farther inland than the older Puu Oo vent on the mountain's seaside slope.

While gas from the Puu Oo vent often blows out to sea, the new plume is more likely to hit farms and communities in concentrated form.

The county has issued only two temporary, voluntary evacuation advisories for Ocean View and Pahala, which have a combined population of just over 4,000. The vog that has settled over the Big Island has little or no odor.

The emergency room at Ka'u Hospital in Pahala is seeing an average of three people a day ? up from two ? with symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath.

Dr. Cliff Field, ER director, said he is more concerned about the potential long-term harm. Large amounts of vog may cause emphysema and chronic lung disease over time.

Still, he questioned whether living next to Kilauea is any worse than living in a city like Los Angeles.

Sally Ancheta of the American Lung Association of Hawaii said people should stay inside when the vog is bad.

But she added: "I would not recommend anybody leaving. It's too good of a place to live."

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/6492/76/
Code Yellow Status Remains for S. Hilo, Upper Puna
Written by KGMB9 News - news@kgmb9.com
May 15, 2008 06:49 AM

The latest from Hawaii County Civil Defense:

The National Weather Service continues to report that normal tradewinds have been replaced by light and variable winds. The absence of tradewinds are causing heavier than normal vog in many districts of the Big Island. Due to air quality conditions the following public safety advisories are made:

* The districts of South Hilo and Upper Puna from Keaau to Volcano remain in Color Code YELLOW status due to vog levels. Color Code Yellow means those in sensitive groups should avoid outdoor activity, all others should limit exposure to vog.
* All other districts are in Color Code GREEN due to low levels of vog. Under Color Code GREEN potential health effects are not expected.

The National Weather Service forecasts that tradewinds are expected to return by Saturday.

Air quality and weather conditions are being closely monitored and if any changes occur that might affect your safety you will be informed.
Last Updated ( May 15, 2008 09:05 AM )

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/a...20080516/NEWS01/805160385/1001/LOCALNEWSFRONT

Vog symptoms showing up statewide
Doctors report rise in number of complaints of breathing problems
# Prison finds itself in emissions risk zone
# Haze expected to clear gradually from Isle skies
# Photo gallery: Vog
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Thick vog hung over much of the state for a second straight day yesterday and the health impact was evident as doctors and the American Lung Association reported more people complaining of respiratory ailments.
Advertisement

Even many people with no history of respiratory problems are suffering.

"We're seeing probably out of every 10 patients, seven have not had symptoms before and the other three have had a history of allergies and this is just making it worse," said Dr. Irving Harper III, a Maui physician specializing in internal medicine and allergy management.

Harper said doctors he's talked with have reported a 20 percent increase in the number of patients they've seen this week. Many of the patients complain of breathing difficulties, runny noses, irritated eyes and sore throats.

The light, variable winds were unable to blow away the particles spewing from the Big Island's Kilauea Volcano. Conditions were worst on the Big Island, but residents throughout the state saw and felt the effects of the polluted air.

But as bad as skies looked, the pollutants did not approach the level at which a health advisory would be issued, said Lisa Young, environmental health specialist with the state Department of Health's Clean Air Branch.

The department has monitoring stations on the Big Island as well as on O'ahu that measure contaminants such as sulfur dioxide. The stations also monitor the particulate matter, such as dust, in the air and none came close yesterday to the levels that trigger an advisory, Young said.

The health department issued 14 advisories for parts of the Big Island in April and one on May 1 when sulfur dioxide exceeded National Ambient Air Quality Standards. None was issued for the other islands.
Within standards

Although the ambient air quality has been within federal standards this week, that came as little comfort for hundreds of sufferers.

Doctors and nurses at Straub Clinic and Hospital reported a "definite increase in respiratory issues," said Claire Tong, spokeswoman for Hawai'i Pacific Health, which operates Straub, Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children and Kapi'olani Medical Center at Pali Momi.

Tong said Straub's downtown emergency room and its satellite clinics have seen more respiratory cases. Some patients, she said, blamed the bad air.

But no noticeable increases in cases were reported at the two Kapi'olani hospitals, she said.

The American Lung Association Hawai'i Chapter has been taking calls on all islands from people wondering what they can do to protect themselves and their children, said Beth-Ann Kozlovich, Lung Association development director. Kozlovich, who suffers from asthma, said many callers are saying this is the worst vog they've ever seen.

"Everyone wants to know, 'What can I do? How do I cope? What are the dangers?' " she said.

She said anyone with asthma or other lung diseases should reduce their activity, stay indoors if possible, drink plenty of liquids and avoid secondhand smoke.

Kozlovich said she's lived in Hawai'i for 15 years and can't remember suffering as much as she is now.

"I grew up in Los Angeles and I had this same kind of upper respiratory thing as a youngster, where my chest hurts and my throat hurts," she said. "I just feel like this isn't the Hawai'i that I know."
Haleakala obscured

The vog on Maui was thick yesterday, again obscuring views of Haleakala. Dr. Harper, whose office is in Kihei, is also the medical director for three Maui resorts. He said he's seen a lot more visitors with signs of vog-related ailments.

"They're saying, 'I've been on the island for 24 to 48 hours and I've developed this sore throat, my nose is running and I have a cough that won't go away and I usually don't have allergy symptoms. Do you know if there's something that's going on?' " Harper said. "I tell them what's going on with the volcano and the lack of trade winds and the content of it being a lot of sulfur."

But Harper said the vog apparently is affecting healthy people as well as allergy sufferers. He said he's treated lifeguards and others who work outdoors.

"They're younger people, outdoor people who are usually healthy and are presenting with symptoms that you usually don't see," he said. "A lot of them are saying they just don't have the energy level that they used to have and that they're a little short of breath."

The view toward the Na Pali Coast yesterday from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kaua'i's West side was hazy yesterday, as if it were about to rain. But it was just the smudge of vog.

"Usually it's crystal clear," said facility spokesman Tom Clements. He said the vog in recent weeks has been the worst he has seen in his four years on Kaua'i.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
In your voice
.....
Also on this webpage is:
Video

Also:
EASING THE DISCOMFORT

Tips for people with asthma and other respiratory ailments:

? Do not smoke, and avoid secondhand smoke.

? Drink plenty of fluids to loosen mucus and help you cough.

? Stay indoors and use an air conditioner, if possible.

? Keep needed medications close at hand.

? Continue to take your medications as directed.

? Avoid people who have colds or other lung infections.

? Assume that your lung condition may deteriorate during exposure. Contact a physician as soon as problems develop. Do not allow a respiratory condition to linger, especially if there is a high concentration of sulfur dioxide.

? A paper, gauze or nontoxic dust mask may help. Moistening the mask with a solution of baking soda and water may improve the filtration. If you find it's more difficult to breathe with the mask on, don't use it.

? Longer-term exposure to high levels of sulfur dioxide gas and particles can cause respiratory illness and can aggravate existing heart disease. It may even cause premature death.

Source: American Lung Association

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://starbulletin.com/2008/05/16/news/story07.html
Clearing the air
Vog, plaguing residents with problems breathing, is expected to ease up soon
By Helen Altonn
haltonn@starbulletin.com

Residents with breathing problems are advised to stay inside and avoid outdoor exercise until the volcanic haze shrouding the islands goes away.
Conditions may improve with light trades as early as tonight or tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service.

"We will still be in a kind of sea breeze, land breeze situation up this way," said forecaster Vic DeJesus. But he said it should start to clear a little over the weekend.

"It's again pretty severe," Jean Evans, chief executive officer of the American Lung Association of Hawaii, said yesterday. But it's worse on the Big Island than Oahu because of sulfur dioxide, she said. "Gas tends to stay closer to the volcano."

About 150,000 islanders have some type of lung disease, from very mild to quite severe, Evans said. Those with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (bronchitis or emphysema) are in a high-risk group, she said.

"Also, if you have a cold, flu or lung cancer, all of those things are already making it more difficult to breathe, so this is not going to help."

Children are more vulnerable because their airways are smaller and particulates in the air are more difficult to breathe, Evans said.

Residents with breathing difficulties should stay inside, especially if they have air conditioning, and keep medicines handy, she said. If they have serious trouble, they should call their doctor.

She also advises drinking a lot of fluids. "Warm fluids tend to help a little more than cold ones," she said. "It helps to loosen mucus and helps people cough."

A surgical mask might be helpful but some people can't breathe through anything and it's the least important of the precautions, Evans said.

She said the lung association is participating in a task force on the Big Island to get information out to residents and to schools on how to protect against vog.

The districts of South Hilo and Puna from Keaau to Volcano remained in the yellow color code yesterday, meaning people in sensitive groups should stay indoors, the Hawaii County Civil Defense reported.

DeJesus said light tradewinds over the weekend should start pushing pollutants south to southeast, back out over the ocean.

"It won't be a typical seasonal 15 to 20 mph situation," he said. But he said, "A more easterly flow should develop and hopefully clear things out a little bit so people should get back to their normal lives."

Meanwhile, state Rep. Robert Herkes (D, Puna-Kau-South Kona-North Kona) asked Gov. Linda Lingle in a letter to provide a central contact or clearinghouse to help residents affected by the volcanic activity.

"Big Island residents fear for their health, their pets and farm animals, their water systems, their farm crops and businesses," he said in a news release. "Yet the various state agencies are ineffective in providing up-to-date information or any meaningful assistance."

In more than 60 years of observing the Big Island's volcanic activity, Herkes said he had never seen the volcanic ash and sulfur dioxide at such levels.

VOG PRECAUTIONS
Vog, or volcanic fog, can cause breathing problems especially for people with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. The American Lung Association and the state Department of Health recommend the following precautions.
? Stay indoors, with an air conditioner on if possible.

? Do not smoke or stay around secondhand smoke.

? Limit physical activity.

? Drink liquids; warm fluids are especially helpful.

? Check your medicine and keep it handy.

? Call your doctor as soon as a breathing problem starts

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/a...20080517/NEWS01/805170361/1001/LOCALNEWSFRONT

Posted on: Saturday, May 17, 2008
Volcanic haze's health risk unclear
Experts just don't know if that haze might be damaging your health

By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

HILO, Hawai'i ? With emissions from Kilauea volcano regularly exceeding federal air pollution standards in parts of the Big Island, residents and visitors breathing the stuff wonder what that does to their health.

The answer isn't simple. The huge amounts of particulates and sulfur dioxide spewing out of the volcano can quickly cause problems for people who have respiratory ailments such as asthma, said health officials. But they say the long-term effects on healthy people aren't as clear.

The state Health Department and Hawai'i County officials are being peppered with inquiries about the long-term effects of the emissions on children and adults. Big Island Mayor Harry Kim said those concerns are "very understandable and very justified."

To illustrate the difficulty of getting answers, Kim reminded people of the years it took to scientifically prove the health hazards of smoking.

"Nobody knows the long-term effects of many, many things because it takes long-term studies to know the long-term effects of it," Kim said. He said county officials have been meeting with the Health Department, and "that is being reviewed and researched to see what they need to do to find out the answer to those things."

Steve Drogin, a part-time Kona resident, said people are talking about the vog and its possible health effects, and are more concerned about it than at any time he can recall since he first came to Hawai'i in the 1980s.

The haze blots out the view of the ocean, some athletes have decided not to exercise outside on bad days and almost everyone in West Hawai'i has been affected in some way, he said.

"It is thicker and it is much more invasive than ever before," Drogin said. "It is affecting more people's lives than ever before."

Barbara Brooks, a toxicologist for the Department of Health's Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office, said the past nine years of studies of the effects of volcanic emissions have been "inconclusive."

There has been research into the long-term effects of sulfur dioxide and particulates from industrial air pollution, but those emissions aren't the same as the emissions from the volcano, and determining what causes a particular health effect is a complex business.

Even the research into long-term health effects of emissions from other volcanoes isn't much help because of variation in the emissions among volcanoes, said Dr. Elizabeth Tam, a professor and chair of the department of medicine in the University of Hawai'i's John A. Burns School of Medicine.

"The volcanoes are all different," said Tam, who is conducting a study of respiratory problems among about 1,900 Big Island youngsters, including 300 to 400 with asthma. "Kilauea is quite unique in that it's almost purely sulfur dioxide (emissions), and it has been going so darn long."

Too many variables

There is little long-term research into the effects of volcanic particulates and sulfur dioxide at the levels present on the Big Island, and none that covers an eruption time frame comparable to Kilauea's ongoing 25-year eruption.

Another complication is the sudden change in the volume of emissions. Most Kilauea research, including Tam's study, focuses on a time when the primary source was Pu'u 'O'o, which is far from Big Island population centers in a remote area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Late last year that changed when Halema'uma'u at the Kilauea summit began to produce more gas, and burst open a new vent on March 12 that is much closer to populated areas such as Volcano Village.

Since then, the combined emissions from Kilauea have been running 150 percent to 200 percent of normal, and residents notice the difference.

The most recent measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey showed Pu'u 'O'o was producing about 2,860 metric tons of sulfur dioxide on May 11, while Halema'uma'u was producing about 810 metric tons on May 12, about quadruple the normal background emissions for the summit.

Generally the winds tend to push the gases away from population centers. Last week, the tradewinds were pushing sulfur dioxide from the vents at Pu'u 'O'o and Halema'uma'u southwest toward Pahala, and nudging particulates around the flank of Mauna Loa to linger over Kona.

This is a common weather pattern that caused emission levels in Pahala to exceed federal pollution standards a dozen times since April 1.

Last week, light winds from the south allowed thick vog to collect over much of the rest of the Big Island and to drift up the island chain, while conditions improved in Pahala and Kona. The vog did not exceed federal pollution standards last week, but similar winds caused emissions to exceed federal pollution standards for particulates and sulfur dioxide in Mountain View on April 24 and 25.

Not smog

There is research all over the world into the effects of airborne particulates from auto exhaust and industrial plants, but those particles aren't the same as the particles in vog. The environments in those urban areas also tend to be loaded with other pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and ozone, which isn't the case on the Big Island.

Most of those urban studies found that people living for many years in areas with high particulate levels suffered more often from reduced lung function, development of chronic bronchitis and even premature death among the elderly, Brooks said.

As for sulfur dioxide, the Environmental Protection Agency last year concluded the epidemiological studies on sulfur dioxide "provide inconclusive evidence that long-term exposure to sulfur dioxide has adverse health effects."

However, Brooks noted that the research the EPA was evaluating involved sulfur dioxide in conditions unlike Hawai'i's because that research did not include the volcanic particulates mixed with the sulfur dioxide here. If there were some interaction between the sulfur dioxide and volcanic particulates that does have a health effect, the research reviewed by the EPA wouldn't reflect that.

Tam's study of Big Island children, which is the largest local study, will gather data on the possible health effects from the higher levels of emissions later this year, including research involving schoolchildren at Volcano Village.

"That is information we need," Brooks said.

A study of 335 Big Island adults done in 2004 and released earlier this year did offer clues there may be health effects from the combined emissions. That study compared a group of residents who had lived at least seven years in the Ka'u area exposed to vog and sulfur dioxide with an unexposed group in Hawi.

It found that those exposed to volcanic emissions reported higher rates of sore throats, runny noses and coughs ? no surprise to Hawai'i residents ? but also found faster pulse rates and higher blood pressure in the exposed group.

Bernadette Longo, one of the authors of the study and an assistant professor of nursing at University of Nevada-Reno, said it is the first research in the world to document health effects of volcanic emissions on the heart and lungs, but added that "one study is just one study. It needs to be multiple studies that are conducted in different ways" to prove any health effects, she said
Hospital clues

Now state health officials are trying to get a better fix on short-term health effects from the higher levels of Kilauea emissions by monitoring medical emergencies.

Sulfur dioxide and particulates can cause breathing problems in people with respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, but so far Ka'u Hospital downwind of Kilauea is the only hospital to report higher-than-normal numbers of patients with respiratory problems.

Ka'u has reported a 50 percent increase in hospital and clinic cases of that type, which for a small facility like Ka'u means about one extra case per day.

For the past two weeks, the Health Department has been monitoring emergency rooms on the Big Island and emergency calls to paramedics to watch for cases of severe respiratory distress that correspond to days where there are heavy volcanic emissions in particular communities, Brooks said.

"That's the kind of information we need, and that's the kind of information we're getting," Brooks said. "Anecdotally, we're hearing that people really are being affected, but we can't tell from the emergency room visits at this point because we haven't been monitoring them long enough."

Tam, who is about six years into the long-term study of Big Island children, said her research so far actually suggests children are more likely to report they have been diagnosed with asthma if they live upwind of the volcano, meaning they would be less affected by the emissions.

Those preliminary results show that smoking in the home "does seem to be correlating much better with the asthma rate than anything else. It's so complicated, it was a lot more complicated than we thought it would be."

"The lesson in all of this is when you get all excited about a natural cause of air pollution, we ought to focus on some of the things we're doing," she said. "Those are things we can change."

Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com.

? ? ?
Graphic showing emissions:
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/assets/gif/M1108719517.GIF
Video about damage to flower industry:
http://gannett.a.mms.mavenapps.net/...istId=playlist&maven_referralObject=744150680

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/504035.html

Vog may make its way back to islands

May 21, 2008

Light to moderate trades winds were helping to keep the vog away from the islands Tuesday, but a shift in the winds expected today may allow the gray haze to return.

A cold front moving in from the northwest is expected to revive the Kona wind conditions that carried a blanket of vog over the islands last week, Maui weather analyst Glenn James said.

?It will be a mirror reflection of last week. Last week the front drove down over Kauai and brought showers to Kauai and Oahu and then stalled,? he said.

?This one is going to be stalling before it gets to Kauai, but the net effect will be the same. It will push the high-pressure ridge right over the islands, and that will knock down our trades and we likely will see the wind pattern shifting from trades to a southeasterly wind flow.

?The southeasterly wind flow is the pattern that brings the vog.?

At the Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, 15 to 20 mph trade winds on Tuesday resulted in no detectable levels of sulfur dioxide at the Kilauea Visitor Center or Jagger Museum. But the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said sulfur dioxide and other volcanic fumes are continuing to spew out of the Halemaumau vent and are being blown toward the southwest.

When the winds were blowing from the south, sulfur dioxide levels along East Hawaii led to a vog advisory recommending individuals sensitive to the volcanic fumes to avoid outdoor activities. In Maui County, the Maui District Health Office issued a vog health advisory from Thursday through Sunday.

Even the trade winds that returned over the past weekend did not clear the air around the islands fully, James said.

?People were commenting it never seemed to get as clear as it used to be,? he said.

While the trades returned, they haven?t been as strong as normal for the early summer. Winds at Maalaea were gusting at 25 mph Tuesday morning but backed off to 12 to 19 mph in the afternoon.

At Kahului Airport, the northeast trades were pumping a gusty 24 to 31 mph at 2 p.m., but eased off in the late afternoon to a steady 18 to 21 mph.

The underlying causes of the recurring southeasterly winds and increased haziness are the frontal systems that are continuing to slide across the North Pacific, forcing out of position the high-pressure system that normally sits midocean northeast of Hawaii.

?Last week, I was calling the cold front very unusual for the time of year. . . . I was calling it the last cold front of the season,? James said. ?After you say something is very unusual, what can you say about the next one?

?We can call it freaky. It?s unusual to have cold fronts digging down into the tropics less than a month away from the summer solstice,? he said.

James, senior weather analyst with the Pacific Disaster Center, said there is no simple explanation for the unusual conditions.

?It has to do with cold fronts, the way the jet stream airflow is patterned in the middle latitudes and pushing the cold fronts toward us,? he said.

James also produces the Maui Weather Today cable television program at 7:45 a.m. on Channel 55 and the www.hawaiiweathertoday.com weather forecast.


The Maui News.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/05/19/daily39.html
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 2:55 PM HAST

Hawaii lawmakers will explore vog's effects
Pacific Business News (Honolulu)

Hawaii residents can breathe easier -- their lawmakers are on the case.

The Hawaii House of Representatives has formed a special committee to study the effects of air pollution from the Kilauea volcano.

House Speaker Calvin Say on Wednesday named eight lawmakers to the committee, most of them from the Big Island, where Kilauea has been erupting steadily since 1983.

In recent weeks the volcanic emissions, called vog, have blanketed much of the state, helped by a lack of strong trade winds. As a result, hospitals have reported an increase in respiratory problems.

The House committee will examine the vog's effects on public health and safety, agriculture, water quality, pets and other animals, and other areas.

"What is occurring is a natural disaster, but unlike a tsunami, hurricane, twister or major earthquake, it is not viewed as one," said Rep. Robert Herkes, D-Puna, N. Kona, committee chairman. "The Legislature needs to focus on the impacts on Hawaii residents such as health and safety, loss of agricultural crops or the impact on tourism and jobs, and explore all avenues of relief."

Hawaii residents should not expect immediate results from the committee, which is expected to issue a report in time for the Legislature's 2009 regular session, which begins in January.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/a...0080605/BREAKING01/80605062/-1/LOCALNEWSFRONT

Updated at 5:17 p.m., Thursday, June 5, 2008

State Web site features vog information page
Associated Press

Gov. Linda Lingle's office is trying to spread awareness about volcanic smog with a new Web page addressing how the so-called "vog" affects health and crops.

The page, which went up last week, answers questions like "What is sulfur dioxide?" and "What can I do to protect myself or prepare for possible health effects of vog?"

It also features a video of state adjutant general Maj. Gen. Robert Lee explaining what government agencies are doing to monitor Kilauea's harmful emissions.

The site says the long-term health effects of vog are unknown.

In the short-term, it says people with pre-existing respiratory conditions are more prone to headaches, breathing difficulties, and sore throats due to vog.

The site can be found at http://hawaii.gov/gov

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/a...20080610/NEWS15/806100338/1001/LOCALNEWSFRONT
Posted on: Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Vog may not affect child asthma rates
Study of 1,986 Big Isle children produces data that may surprise many

By Leanne Ta
Advertiser Staff Writer

Exposure to vog does not appear related to asthma rates among children on the Big Island, according to a study on the effects of volcanic air pollution on children's respiratory health.

The study finds that the rate of asthma among a select group of children on the Big Island is higher in upwind areas ? which experience less exposure to vog ? than in downwind areas where vog is heaviest.

The annual study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Lung Association of Hawai'i, follows 1,986 Big Island children. The study is in its sixth year, and the children are now ages 14 to 16.

The lead researcher cautions that more data are needed. "We're still in the middle of the study," said Dr. Elizabeth Tam, a professor and chairwoman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine. "We need to study the children until they stop growing. We have at least four more years to go."

Tam is scheduled to discuss her study in detail today at The Queen's Conference Center.

The long-term health effects of vog, or volcanic smog, are largely unknown. For state health officials and residents alike, this has become an increasing source of concern, especially with unusually high rates of sulfur dioxide emissions reported this year.

On March 19, Kilauea's Halema'uma'u crater erupted explosively for the first time since 1924, sending large amounts of sulfur dioxide into the air. As a result, "we've had many more voggy days this year," said Jean Evans, executive director for the Lung Association.

Sulfur dioxide emissions from Kilauea Volcano spiked to more than 2,000 metric tons per day, 10 times the normal level. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was closed twice in April due to high sulfur dioxide levels. Since February, various parts of the park have been temporarily closed.

Vog can be a trigger that makes respiratory problems worse for people with asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema, Evans said.

"Even healthy people have reported watery eyes, a sore throat or difficulty breathing on a voggy day," she said.

As state legislators and private agencies continue to gather data on the health effects of vog, officials urge Islanders to focus their efforts on reducing other air pollutants, such as cigarette smoke.

The health risks posed by secondhand tobacco smoke far outweigh those of vog in previous years, according to Tam's study.

"We may be living with vog for quite some time, as we have been for years," Evans said. While we cannot ask Kilauea to stop emitting chemicals, she said, we can ask people to stop smoking, or at least to avoid smoking around children and indoors.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.khon2.com/home/ticker/20622189.html

More Steps are taken to Monitor Vog
By Jai Cunningham
The Hawaii National Guard calls it a three step process.

Sulphur Dioxide has been identified spewing from Kilauea Volcano.
It is being monitored.
And now health experts are trying to determine risks involved with exposure to SO2.

Federal, state, and Big Island county officials have ventured into new territory the past few months in the name of public safety.

[/B]"We had none of that in place prior to april. and again thank to all the partnership we had with all the agencies, mainly the 93rd, we were able top put that together so now we have some form of monitoring system in place that can be used as a tool," says Chief Darryly Oliveira, Hawaii Fire Department.

So in stepped the Hawaii National Guard's support team against weapons of mass destruction or chemical threats.[/B]

"In this particular case kilauea was producing sulphur dioxide levels that were of concern, and that exceeded the county's ability to respond to it effectively," says Lt. Colonel Trey Johnson, Hawaii National Guard.

State and federal officials quickly set up monitoring systems to keep a check on SO2 levels.

"That's in place right now. that wasn't in place early march. where we're at right now is the risk assessment, determine the impacts on health, agriculture, water catchment systems," says Lt. Colonel Trey Johnson.

The monitoring isn't a new idea...it's just being used for something it never has been used for before.

"And then once it gets into the air it's more of an air quality and health issue that we're ill equipped to deal with. so, i'm glad that the county and state are stepping in and doing that," says Jim Kauahikaua, U.S. Geological Survey.

State lawmakers were briefed about the latest efforts on the Big Island.

They were told of hopes of expanding the monitoring to hospitals and schools.

"Using the school as an example administrators can say there is no recess activity outdoor today. We'll curtail P.E. things like that, just simple proactive,protective measures that they can implement," says Oliveira.

As for when sulphur dioxide emissions may end.

"It will certainly end at some point temporarily. But Kilauea is going to be an active volcano for longer than you or I care about," says Kauahikaua.

And likely to keep officials on the Big Island busy for some time.

Note: Use the source link to access video to this story
Story Updated: Jun 20, 2008 at 7:24 PM HDT

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/a...0080620/BREAKING01/80620079/-1/LOCALNEWSFRONT
Updated at 4:12 p.m., Friday, June 20, 2008
No clear answers yet to health risks of vog

By MARK NIESSE
Associated Press

Hawai'i health experts, emergency officials and lawmakers tried to determine Friday how dangerous Kilauea's thick volcanic smog is. No one really knew.

Doctors had no hard data showing the vog is causing new ailments. Emergency responders discussed Big Island evacuation plans, but didn't know how bad the vog would have to get before becoming a public health crisis.

Only a few things were certain: Big Island residents will have to learn to live with the vog for the foreseeable future, and those suffering respiratory illnesses need to find ways to cope depending on their symptoms.

"I don't know if the answers are going to be there from a health perspective," said Dr. Cliff Field, medical director at Kau Hospital in Pahala, at a meeting with lawmakers at the state Capitol. "We're not going to know the effects of it until months or years down the road."

State heath director, Dr. Chiyome Fukino, said there has been no significant increase in emergency room visits among asthma patients.

However, those with respiratory problems may become more agitated by the vog, Field said.

People with health problems may eventually have to move away from the volcano, install air filters in their homes or buy respirators, said speakers at the first meeting of the House Special Committee on Vog Effects.

Heavy clouds of vog have been erupting from Halemaumau Crater since a new vent opened March 12, adding to the existing vog puffing from the Pu'u 'O'o vent. Kilauea has been erupting for more than 25 years and is the world's most active volcano, said Jim Kauahikaua, scientist in charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

"The more likely scenario is that it will go on for a while or decline very slowly," Kauahikaua said.

The Health Department and representatives from Hawai'i's hospitals discussed closer collaboration to study whether prolonged exposure to vog and its toxic sulfur dioxide cause new health problems, or merely agitate existing ones.

Elected representatives considered ideas for installing air conditioning in hospitals or air purifiers in schools after they heard of students being sent home from school because the vog was making them sick.

"This is going to be a lifestyle change for all of us living here," said Hawai'i County Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira. "We don't know what the long-term health effects will be. People need to rely on their own personal symptoms or comfort level."

The vog committee's chairman, Rep. Bob Herkes, suggested that residents using water catchment systems should be advised of ways to make sure their drinking water is safe. When the vog mixes with rain, it can create acid rain, which could result in elevated levels of lead in water.

"The people I talk to don't know about these things," said Herkes, D-Volcano-Kainaliu. "We need some help. People don't have a clue what to do."

Some people in the meeting also suggested improving a color-coded system that attempts to advise residents when vog levels are high.

The committee will meet at least two or three more times to continue its examination of the vog's effect on public safety, agriculture and the economy. Then it will make recommendations about how to handle the situation.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/a...20080621/NEWS15/806210337/1026/LOCALNEWSFRONT

Vog-protection measures planned
Big Island schools will get air-quality monitors as health effects studied

By Leanne Ta
Advertiser Staff Writer

State officials plan to have portable air-quality monitors in Big Island public schools by the start of the fall term because of ongoing concerns about the possible health effects of volcanic fumes, officials told a legislative committee yesterday.

Members of the House Special Committee on Vog Effects met with local experts in the first of a series of meetings to discuss the wide-ranging effects of sulfur dioxide emissions from Kilauea.

While it will take years to determine the long-term effects of vog, the state is taking proactive measures to protect those in vog-exposed areas, officials said at the meeting at the State Capitol.

Hawai'i County Civil Defense has set up a task force that is responsible for hazard and risk assessment, as well as creating a response plan, for times when Kilauea's sulfur dioxide emissions rise to dangerous levels.

More than 400 Hawai'i firefighters have been trained to use 25 portable sulfur dioxide monitors at 21 fire stations. Another eight fixed monitors have been placed at various locations throughout the island.

Lt. Michael Kennedy, medical operations officer for the Hawai'i National Guard's 93rd Civil Support Team, said the group is working with the Hawai'i school system to put portable monitors in schools.

"Before school gets back into session, we anticipate having monitors in place," he said.

Although the state is making progress in its efforts to track sulfur dioxide emissions, the health effects of vog remain unclear, said Dr. Chiyome Fukino, director of the state Department of Health.

"This is new territory," Fukino said. "We talk about long-term health effects, but we haven't hit long term yet."

Fukino urged people not to focus on government readings and statistics, but rather to pay close attention to their own health.

"An individual needs to make an assessment based on their physical response to the environment, not based on numbers," Fukino said. "The response is different for everyone."

People with asthma, the elderly and the very young may be especially sensitive to air pollutants, she said.

Short-term reactions to vog may include difficulty breathing for those with respiratory conditions, as well as itchy eyes and a sore throat. An ongoing study by University of Hawai'i medical professor Elizabeth Tam showed that asthma rates are not correlated with exposure to vog in Big Island children.

While there has not been an increase in asthma cases, it is possible that vog could exacerbate asthmatic reactions, said Dr. Cliff Field, emergency medical director at Ka'u Hospital. Field said he has seen an increase in respiratory infections and emergency room visits since Kilauea's March 19 explosion that marked the beginning of the current phase of heavy sulfur dioxide emissions, he said. However, Field said the increase could also have been caused by the arrival of flu season.

To reduce the risk of health problems associated with volcanic emissions, the Department of Health warns against drinking or cooking with water from catchment systems.

Members of the committee, including chairman Rep. Robert Herkes, D-5th (Ka'u, South Kona), expressed concern that some residents will continue to rely on catchment water despite warnings. Not everyone has the resources available to drive out and purchase bottled water, Herkes said.

Fukino said she hopes that "the counties will make available potable water through spigots and trucks," she said.

The Health Department is not aware of any air filters that have been proven effective in eliminating sulfur dioxide, and does not recommend wearing dust masks, which might make it more difficult to breathe.

The committee plans to hold three or four more meetings, which will focus on the effects of vog on agriculture, pets and animals, wildlife and other areas.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/200...ption_continues_in_Hawaii/UPI-41211215535948/

Kilauea lava eruption continues in Hawaii

HONOLULU, July 8 (UPI) -- Officials on the big island of Hawaii say a spectacular volcanic eruption under way Tuesday so far has not caused any additional problems with air quality.

A lava fountain some 40-feet high has been gushing since Sunday night at the Kilauea Volcano, an event that scientists say they haven't seen in more than a year.

Scientists say the latest eruption has nearly doubled the amount of sulfur dioxide in the air. However, Civil Defense officials told KITV-TV, Honolulu, that so far the trade winds have been keeping the fumes away from populated areas.

The only bad news for tourists is that the eruption can't be seen from the public viewing area.

Kilauea's lava has been flowing toward the sea for several months, but an apparent lava tube has been preventing all but small amounts of it from actually reaching the water.

Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano has been continually erupting since 1983.
Published: July 8, 2008 at 12:52 PM

 

[mixin]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Hawaiian Vog: Where There's Smoke--There is Something Brewing
The Kilauea Volcano located on the Big Island of Hawaii is currently registering an Orange Alert which means the volcano is exhibiting a heightened or elevated risk of eruption or is erupting with minor or no volcanic ash emissions. Of particular concern is Halema' Uma' u crater, http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam3/ and the Pu' u' 'O' o vent http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam/index.htm located on the Kilauea Volcano.

Sulfur dioxide emissions from this volcano increased substantially to a range of 1200 to 1700 tonnes per day on September 21, 2008. Additionally lava from the Pu' u' 'O' o vent has sent lava flowing into the ocean. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory a 4.3 magnitude earthquake was registered in the nearby area of at nearby Ka'ena Point. Since this date the Kilauea Summit has registered daily earthquake activity in a range of 1.7 to 2.6 magnitude. USGS scientists Bernard Chouet and Phil Dawson have developed modeling tools and analytic methods for evaluting volcanic activity from Italy to Japan and their expertise is being used to evaluate the recent Kilauea Volcano.

Full story:
http://www.physorg.com/news141878394.html

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=10552981

Kona hospital comes to the rescue
Posted: Jun 17, 2009 9:45 PM EST Updated: Jun 18, 2009 1:33 AM EST
Featured Videos

*
Kona hospital comes to the rescue

Dr. Stephen Denzer Dr. Stephen Denzer
Keep up with KHNL
Sign up for email alerts...
Follow KHNL on Twitter...

By Duane Shimogawa - bio | email

KONA (KHNL) - There's a nearly constant haze of vog along the Kona Coast of the Big Island because of the trade winds.

And many who call the area home turn to the Kona Community Hospital when their health suffers from the air quality.

The Kona Community Hospital has seen its share of people suffering from vog-related illnesses.

"It definitely affects the quality of life for a lot of people," Dr. Stephen Denzer said. "There are people with chronic lung problems who actually left Kona because of the vog."

It might be clear during the morning, but residents say that could change in just a few hours.

"We have a fair amount of emergency room and hospital business that's ultimately due to vog-related respiratory problems," Dr. Denzer said.

Doctors say they treat people with vog-related illnesses similar to how they take care of people with asthma.

"Aerosol treatments, oxygen, drugs, antibiotics, all of those may be used at various times," he said.

Eruptions like the recent one is nothing new to Kona residents, but it's still cause for concern.

"In my lifetime living in Kona, this is really the worst its been, when i'm driving home, I cannot see my house on a really bad day," he said. "I think people on the Big Island have been living with vog since the beginning of time and you just get used to it."

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Volcano's fumes worry Hawaii's residents

Source: http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=10566217

Keeping the vog out of Kau Hospital
Posted: Jun 19, 2009 10:34 PM EST Updated: Jun 19, 2009 11:57 PM EST
Featured Videos

*
Keeping the vog out of Kau Hospital

Merilyn Harris Merilyn Harris


By Stephanie Lum - bio | email

KAU (KHNL) - It seems like the common sense thing to do, go to the hospital if you're feeling sick. For Kau residents who suffer from respiratory problems, however, the nearest hospital may not be the best place to be on voggy days.

Kau hospital is the only hospital serving an area the size of Oahu. It's equipped to provide acute, long-term and emergency care services but the facility is old. As hospital administrator Merilyn Harris shows us, its biggest problem remains, keeping the vog out.

"The first issue we have with air quality is when we come through the door way here. The doorway doesn't close completely since these are old doors," said Merilyn Harris as she points to gaps between and below the front entry way.

Further up the hallway, Harris says, "As the sulfur dioxide levels increase, we close these doors then we move everyone into day activities room."

Portable fans on the floor help keep out some of the bad air but it doesn't keep patients safe from breathing in dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide.

"This is normally where we get our cross breeze," says Harris. "Once these windows are closed, then it's it's really uncomfortable. It's not fair for the long-term care residents."

The hospital was built in 1971. There's no central air conditioning; just ceiling fans, a portable air condition unit in the emergency room and old jealousies that just like the front doors, don't close shut.

"We actually had to close the clinic because we can't provide a safe place to provide care," says Harris. "If we have to close because we can't provide a safe environment, to provide care, that's a real serious issue."

The cost to make the upgrades necessary to keep the vog out of Kau Hospital is an estimated 5.6 million dollars. With the current state of the economy and the newly implemented budget cuts, Harris says, whether they receive the funding needed remains to be seen.

What isn't going away, is the continued support the community provides through donations and fundraising.