Madame Pele’s latest creations and destructions have brought about emotions from grief to awe. Those directly impacted by the volcanic flows saw their homes disappear by a clearly visible threat. The rest of the island is left with a nearly invisible entity to grapple with: vog — a mixture of the invisible sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas and other trace gases.
Nearly 20 years ago, I handed in a first-year medical school thesis on the impact of the Kilauea eruption on health on Hawaii Island. What the research showed then holds true for our current volcanic event. While vog doesn’t cause conditions such as asthma, people with pre-existing lung conditions and children with asthma were more likely to seek medical help during high vog events.
While many areas of Hawaii Island can be clean and clear, during this current eruption more vulnerable populations need to take particular care when in areas of heavy vog.
The general population can experience symptoms of burning eyes, runny nose, cough, choking sensation, brain fog, headache, skin irritation, fatigue and increased susceptibility to upper respiratory infections.
While Madame Pele is busy creating new land in her own way, in her own time, we can all take care of ourselves in the following ways:
Watch air quality. There are many websites which track air quality: https://www.hiso2index.info, https://www3.epa.gov/aircompare, www.purpleair.com and https://mkwc.ifa.hawaii.edu/vmap. Most of the air quality websites use the following categories: acceptable, moderate, unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, very unhealthy and hazardous. These categories are particularly helpful for sensitive groups to protect themselves.
Stay indoors on higher air pollution days, or if you are able, simply drive to an area of the island that has clear air that day.
Limit outdoor exercise on unhealthy air days. If you need to break a sweat, choose a gym, a home work-out or an indoor sport that day.
Most big-box stores have brought in air purifiers by the pallet load. If you were lucky enough to get one, use them liberally, especially in the bedroom. Sleep is a good time to get eight hours or so of optimum air quality. If you were not able to get a store-bought air purifier, try a homemade one. Our friends at UH-Manoa have given us a simple solution: Saturate a tea towel with a baking soda and water solution. Place it in front of a standing fan and allow it to neutralize the vog in your room.
While a lovely trade wind breezing through our homes can be nice, opt for air-conditioning or indoor fans on less than acceptable air quality days.
For those people living close to volcanic flow or where there is heavy fog, a proper cartridge respirator rated for SO2 and other gases can be considered. These are not to be used when there are particulates in the air, as they can become clogged.
NASA has a long history of studying plants such as ferns, spider plants and peace lilies to clean the air. While plants have not been shown to purify sulphur dioxide from the air, decreasing the pollutant load in your home will also decrease the pollutants your body has to deal with.
Drink water frequently. Hydration moistens mucous membranes, supports detoxification pathways and hydrates and protects the skin from the inside.
Vog tea. There are many formulations of vog tea to choose from. Enjoy trying them and find the one that works best for you.
