No vog on Kauai

LIHUE — Hawaii Island is wrapped in a veil of vog and covered in layers of Pele’s hair, but more than 300 miles away Kauai isn’t seeing a real uptick of any volcano-related health issues.

“Wilcox Medical Center has not seen an increase in patients with respiratory issues,” said Faith Campbell, spokeswoman for Wilcox Health on Kauai. “Our primary-care physicians at our clinics may have seen a slight increase of patients coming in with allergies and other symptoms that could be associated with vog, but nothing significant.”

The state Department of Health also said there haven’t been reports of upticks in respiratory illness on Kauai.

Volcanic fog, or ‘vog,’ is a combination of gasses and particles that are emitted by an erupting volcano. It can trigger coughing and eye/nose/skin irritation, tightness in the chest and shortness of breath, increased risk for respiratory ailments, and fatigue and dizziness.

Vog has been blowing around from the Kilauea volcano eruption since the beginning of May, but experts say it would take strong Kona (south) winds to make it to Kauai.

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The Garden Island