Kilauea’s vog reaches Kauai

LIHUE — Kilauea’s volcanic vog has reached the island of Kauai after its eruption on Hawaii’s Big Island on Monday, Dec 23.

Vog is a colorless hazy mixture of sulfur dioxide SO2 gas, and aerosol particles, and depending on the trade wind direction and its conditions, vog tends to travel and impact Neighbor Islands after an eruption.

“Vog generally happens only when there are eruptions. During eruptions, volcanic gas emissions increase, and they are carried downwind where they can impact other islands as vog,” said Katie Mulliken, U.S. Geologic Survey scientist.

She encourages everyone to visit the Hawaii Interagency Vog Information Dashboard which provides useful information, especially for those with pre-existing respiratory or other medical conditions. The information includes getting familiar with key air monitoring websites and maintaining medications for asthma or other respiratory conditions.

Mulliken also emphasized the importance for potentially sensitive groups to limit their vog exposure.

Short-term health symptoms related to volcanic vog include: breathing difficulties, headaches, watery eyes, sore throat, chest tightness, and/or shortness of breath.

Physically active asthmatics are reminded to use a face mask if they must be outdoors. N95 masks can protect against volcanic ash but not gases. Staying hydrated and drinking plenty of fluids is also important to loosen congestion.

Room air cleaners are also effective in reducing the levels of SO2. Motorists can also restrict vog from their vehicles by temporarily closing the car windows and turning the air off.

For further information on volcanic vog visit, https://vog.ivhhn.org/. For up-to-date wind conditions visit the National Weather Service website at forecast.weather.gov.