HONOLULU (AP) — A volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island is creating “vog,” or volcanic smog.
The air pollution occurs when vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide from Kilauea mix together.
In recent days, scientists have recorded higher sulfur dioxide emissions at the volcano’s summit, which creates heavier than usual vog.
The gray haze in the air can cause coughing, sore throats, headaches and other symptoms in generally healthy people. And vog can be even more problematic for those with respiratory problems.
So far, trade winds have been mostly blowing the vog offshore.
With the current conditions, communities where lava fissures have opened and those downwind are the most affected. The Big Island is Hawaii’s largest island, so there are still plenty of areas that aren’t suffering from the effects of vog.
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