Kīlauea’s volcanic smog to create health hazards across Hawaii’s Big Island through this week

As new evacuation orders were issued on Sunday, portions of Hawaii’s Big Island will continue to bear the brunt of the toxic gases and vog spewing from the KÄ«lauea eruption this week.

Volcanic smog, or vog, is a form of air pollution that is caused by the sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles emitted by an erupting volcano.

The KÄ«lauea volcano, which first erupted at the beginning of May, has 20 fissures from which the poisonous gases are being emitted. Eruptions intensified on Tuesday, May 15 at the Halema'uma'u Crater.

While a light southeast breeze is forecast into Wednesday night, it will not be strong enough to carry ash and pollutants from the fissures and main cone of KÄ«lauea to the northwestern islands. However it will allow these conditions to spread over the central part of the Big Island.

"It is possible that causes some vog [and ash] to reach the smaller, middle islands into Wednesday night," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.

A typical trade-wind pattern, which features a breeze from the northeast, will return across the Hawaiian Islands later in the week.

This will direct hazardous vog to southern and western areas of the Big Island, which has been the case much of the time thus far.

The smaller islands of Maui, Lana'i, Moloka'i and O'ahu will be spared from the pollutants during the northeasterly trade-wind flow.

People in the affected areas should keep up-to-date with the latest air quality advisory levels and limit time outdoors without proper protection or avoid going outside at all.

“Poor air quality can have both short and long term health impacts on anyone breathing it in,” AccuWeather Meteorologist and air quality blogger Faith Eherts said.

“Short-term symptoms include itchy eyes, a sore throat, coughing, nausea and trouble breathing," she said. "These are especially pronounced for the elderly, the very young and anyone with preexisting respiratory and cardiovascular health issues such as asthma.”

"Smoke and other particles in the air such as sulfur dioxide enter the bloodstream through the lungs, leading to longer term health problems down the road," Eherts added.

While the worst of the pollution will focus over the Big Island in the short term, residents and visitors of the other islands should not let their guard down as possible wind shifts later in the month could once again spread pollutants northwestward.

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