Hawaii faces new threat of laze fumes
LAZE, A MIX OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID VAPOUR, STEAM AND FINE VOLCANIC GLASS SPECKS, IS A SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARD
Hawaii faced a new hazard on Sunday as lava flows from Kilauea’s volcanic eruption could produce clouds of acid fumes, steam and glasslike particles as they reach the Pacific, authorities said.
Civil Defence notices cautioned motorists, boaters and beachgoers to beware of caustic plumes of “laze” formed from two streams of hot lava pouring into the sea after cutting across Highway 137 on the south coast of Hawaii’s Big Island late on Saturday and early Sunday.
The bulletins also warned that reports of toxic sulphur dioxide gas being vented from various points around the volcano had tripled, urging residents to “take action necessary to limit further exposure.” Laze — a term combining the words “lava” and haze” — is a mix of hydrochloric acid fumes, steam and fine volcanic glass specks created when erupting lava, which can reach 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,093 degrees Celsius), reacts with seawater, Hawaii County Civil Defence said in a statement.
“Be aware of the laze hazard and stay away from any ocean plume,” the agency said, warning that potential hazards include lung damage, as well as eye and skin irritation.
Under Sunday’s conditions, with strong winds and copious amounts of lava hitting the ocean, the laze plumes could extend as far as 24km, mostly along the coast and offshore, though the hazard would diminish the farther out to sea it blows, according to USGS geologist Janet Babb.
Authorities cautioned, however, that wind patterns can change abruptly. The US Coast Guard was “actively monitoring” the area to keep away all vessel traffic except permitted tour boats, the Civil Defence office said.
Two killed
Laze killed two people when a lava flow reached the coast in 2000, and even a wisp can cause eye and respiratory irritation, the US Geological Survey said. Acid rain from laze has corrosive properties equivalent to diluted battery acid, the agency said.
The section of coastal Highway 137 and a nearby state park in the area where lava was pouring into the ocean were both closed, and another road in the vicinity was restricted to local traffic as a precaution due to elevated levels of sulphur dioxide gas.
An air quality index for Kona, about 64km northwest of the eruption site, was at “orange” level, meaning that older individuals and those with lung problems could be affected.
Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, began extruding red-hot lava and sulphuric acid fumes through newly opened fissures on the ground along its eastern flank on May 3, marking the latest phase of an eruption cycle that has continued nearly non-stop for 35 years.
The occurrence of new lavaspewing vents, now numbering at least 22, have been accompanied by flurries of earthquakes and periodic eruptions of ash, volcanic rock and toxic gases from the volcano’s summit crater.
The lava flows have destroyed dozens of homes and other buildings, ignited brush fires and displaced thousands of residents who were either ordered evacuated or fled voluntarily. The volcano has also fed a phenomenon called vog, a hazy mix of sulphur dioxide, aerosols, moisture and dust, with fine particles that can travel deep into lungs, the USGS said.
Lava bomb
On Saturday, authorities reported the first known serious injury from the eruptions — a homeowner whose leg was shattered by a hot, solid lumb of lava called a “lava bomb” while standing on the third-floor balcony of his home.
Mark Clawson, a friend of the victim who did not want his name used, lives near where his friend was staying as caretaker, and heard screaming and saw the harrowing aftermath, he told Reuters.
Apparently a fiery 5-pound “lava bomb” about the size of a dinner plate was launched from a fissure about 200 yards from the house, Clawson said.
“Most of them (lava bombs) arc high in the air, but every now and again there’s one that gets shot like a rifle, more horizontal and that’s what happened here,” he said.
It also started a small fire, which Clawson helped douse.