AN ISLAND off the coast of Sicily popular with British tourists has been urged to consider banning holidaymakers from part of its coastline after a nine-year-old boy was poisoned by “potentially lethal” levels of volcanic gas.
Each summer, thousands of tourists visit Lipari, the largest of the Aeolian islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, to relax on its black-sand beaches and bathe in its bubbling sulphur pools in the shadow of two active volcanoes, Stromboli and Vulcano.
However, just weeks before the beginning of peak tourist season, the Department of Civil Protection has written to the local council in Lipari warning of a high concentration of carbon dioxide along the coast of the archipelago.
“There are conditions that threaten public safety in the stretch of sea off Vulcano and across from the so-called ‘mud baths’,” states the letter, which was also sent to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, the Coastguard and the regional council.
“There are many places which are at risk — especially in the absence of any wind — of a build-up of an odourless, and potentially lethal, gas.”
The department said a build-up could happen “without warning” and warned the council to consider banning tourists from the area and from swimming in the hot waters around the island.
A nine-year-old French boy collapsed whilst playing on the sand at Lipari in April. He was taken to hospital, where doctors discovered a high level of carbon dioxide in his blood.
A risk assessment carried out by the National Institute of Geophysics and Vol- canology found that “in particular conditions of calm winds, which prevents the dispersion of the carbon dioxide, these emissions can be hazardous”.
It said that “carbon dioxide cools as it travels through seawater, increasing its density so it accumulates on the water’s surface just at the height where swimmers are most likely to breathe it in”.
Volcanoes release carbon dioxide through magma, but volcanic gases can also escape into the atmosphere through the soil, the sea and through volcanic vents.
Although at ordinary levels carbon dioxide is non-toxic, it is possible to suffer asphyxiation from breathing too much of the gas. High quantities in the bloodstream can lead to a decreased concentration of oxygen.
The population of the Aeolian archipelago — a Unesco World Heritage Site — doubles from around 10,000 to 20,000 during the summer when the ports are filled with expensive yachts and wealthy Italians pack the bars and restaurants.
In recent years, the islands have become a popular spot for British tourists, with a one-hour hydrofoil ride bringing holidaymakers from mainland Sicily.
Stromboli is also a major draw for tourists. Many come to watch its regular — and spectacular — low-level eruptions, while others attempt to climb to its summit.
Marco Giorgianni, the mayor of Lipari, told La Repubblica there was currently no reason to ban tourists from swimming.
“I do not mean to underestimate any alarm,” he said. “But there’s no escalation [in gas levels]. We will publicise the level of danger with special signs, which I have asked for from the Department of Civil Protection.”