[SIZE=7]Erupting Volcano on Hawaii Releases Life-Threatening Gas, Officials Say[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=2]An ash plume at the Kilauea volcano on Friday on Hawaii. The governor declared a local state of emergency near the volcano after it erupted and prompted the evacuation of residents.[/SIZE]
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PAHOA, Hawaii — Images of the eruption of the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii offer a vivid display of yellow and red lava bubbling from fissures, orange fires, and white smoke, but the authorities on Saturday warned of something unseen but no less dangerous: high levels of sulfur dioxide gas.
The gas is “an immediate threat to life for all who become exposed,” the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said in a statement.
Gaseous sulfur dioxide, which is colorless and smells like a burning match, can cause serious eye, nose and skin irritation as well as coughing, headaches and shortness of breath.
People with cardiovascular disease or respiratory ailments, such as asthma, are especially vulnerable. Older adults, infants and pregnant women are also particularly sensitive. No one knows the long-term health effects of exposure to volcanic sulfur dioxide, officials say.
“I know police, fire, who have been exposed to the gas, pretty much all of them went home sick with headaches,” Talmadge Magno, head of the Civil Defense Agency, said on Friday. He explained that sulfur dioxide affects everyone differently, and almost always adversely. “If you’ve got any respiratory issues, it could be deadly to you.”