On Wednesday, the volcano in southern Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull glacier has sent an enormous cloud of microscopic basalt ash particles across northern Europe, shutting down the airspace across the continent. Icelandic geologist Magnus Gudmundsson said: “There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. The activity has been quite vigorous overnight, causing the eruption column to grow.”
The World Health Organization warned Friday as small amounts fell in Iceland, Scotland and Norway, that the microscopic ash is potentially dangerous for people, while some experts claimed the ash actually doesn’t have major effects on people’s health and its harmfulness is exaggerated, the Associated Press reported Monday.
World Health Organization’s spokesman Daniel Epstein said that inhaled particles can enter the lungs and cause respiratory problems: “We’re very concerned about it. These particles when inhaled can reach the peripheral regions of … the lungs and can cause problems - especially for people with asthma or respiratory problems.”
Nevertheless, other experts said World Health Organisation’s warnings were “hysterical” and that the volcanic ash was much less dangerous than cigarette smoke or pollution. “The cloud has already passed over northern Scotland and we haven’t heard of any ill effects there,” said Dr. Stephen Spiro, a professor of respiratory medicine and deputy chair of the British Lung Foundation.
“Not all particles are created equal,” said Ken Donaldson, a professor of respiratory toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, who has studied the impact of volcanic ash in people. “In the great scheme of things, volcanic ash is not all that harmful.” Besides, according to the professor, most Europeans’ exposure to volcanic ash would be negligible and that only those near the Icelandic volcano would likely be at risk. “Once the volcanic particles are in the stratosphere, they’re getting massively diluted because there’s a lot of air and other particles blowing around.” Donaldson also said that after previous volcanic eruptions, little impact has been seen in people’s health, except for those with lung problems who were close to the volcano.
Even so, World Health Organisation recommends Europeans to try to stay indoors or to consider wearing a mask if they go outside and not wear contact lenses. If people experience symptoms such as itchy or irritated eyes, a runny nose, sore throat or dry cough, or notice a dusty haze in the air or smell the rotten egg odour of sulphur outside, then they should limit their activities outdoors or return indoors.
The advice for people in northern Europe with respiratory problems, asthma, or cardiovascular problems is:
- Avoid intense exercise.
- Keep inhalers and medication with you.
- Avoid exhaust from heavily trafficked roads.
People should keep in mind these warnings and suggestions on how to protect themselves, because experts say things might get worse. The volcano has erupted twice in the past 1,100 years, once for more than a year. Each time it was followed by the eruption of the neighbouring Katla volcano, which is much larger and could cause disruption that is even more serious.
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