Kilauea Volcano In Hawaii Releasing Sulfur Dioxide At Dangerous Levels, Threatens Health

Vents formed by Kilauea volcano are releasing high levels of sulfur dioxide due to which the gas poses an immediate danger to anyone nearby, the Hawaii County Civil Defense said. Eruptions have opened 20 vents in the ground.

The gas is especially harmful for elderly, young children and babies and people with respiratory problems, and may cause choking, the agency officials said Monday. The air quality in the area was declared “condition red,” meaning it was an immediate danger to health.

“Be aware of the unpredictable nature of dangerous levels of SO2 gas because it can be carried far from the fissures with wind speed and direction,” civil defence said in a Facebook post.

The warnings applied to an area near the vents in the southeast section of the Lanipuna Gardens neighborhood and surrounding farm lots, the Washington Post reported.

The authorities also recommended people should seek medical attention or leave the area if affected severely by the gas.

“Residents of Halekamahina Road are ordered to evacuate and be on the alert for gas emissions and lava spatter,” the officials said.

The Hawaii Department of Health also warned people against buying cheap masks.

“No mask sold in stores provides protection from the extremely dangerous volcanic gases that are being released from the current volcanic eruption,” the spokesperson said.

Officials added the residents should leave the area of volcanic activity, avoid outdoor activities, drink plenty of fluids, avoid smoking, close windows and recirculate the air conditions when smog levels are elevated.

Apart from the release of sulphur dioxide, the lava flowing from new fissures threatened highways also Monday. Lave tore through farmland toward a coastal dirt road, which is one of the last open exit routes for 2,000 residents in the southeast area of Hawaii’s Big Island.

More such cracks were expected to open near homes and countryside some 40 km east of Kilauea’s smoking summit, possibly blocking one of the last exit routes, Highway 132. The officials plan to order thousands more to evacuate before all the escape routes are cut off.

“Reopening Highway 130 is now a top priority for the department,” said Ed Sniffen, deputy director of the state Department of Transportation, reported the Star Advertiser. “Now that we see the risk extending towards Highway 137, if that gets cut off, then the route has got to go back to Highway 130 again so, we’re looking at options to minimize any risk as 130.”

United States Geological Survey is concerned pent-up steam could cause a violent explosive eruption at the volcano crater, launching a 6,100-metre plume that could spread debris over 19 kilometers (11.8 miles), Reuters reported.

"This could generate dangerous debris very near the crater and ash falls up to tens of miles downwind. As of late Sunday, activity was dominated by lava fountaining and explosion of spatter bombs hundreds of feet into the air,” the agency said.