Experts differ on health risk of volcanic ash

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Experts differ on health risk of volcanic ash

By ELIANE ENGELER The Associated Press, April 16, 2010; 12:48 PM

GENEVA -- Europeans should try to stay indoors if ash from Iceland's volcano

starts settling, the World Health Organization warned Friday as small amounts

fell in Iceland, Scotland and Norway.

WHO spokesman Epstein said the microscopic ash is potentially dangerous

for people when it starts to reach the Earth because inhaled particles can enter

the lungs and cause respiratory problems.

" We're very concerned about it, " Epstein said. " These particles when inhaled can

reach the peripheral regions of ... the lungs and can cause problems -

especially for people with asthma or respiratory problems. " He also said

Europeans who go outside might want to consider wearing a mask.

Other experts, however, weren't convinced the volcanic ash would have a major

effect on peoples' health and said WHO's warnings were " hysterical. " They said

volcanic ash was much less dangerous than cigarette smoke or pollution.

Volcanic ash is made of fine particles of fragmented volcanic rock. It is light

gray to black and can be as fine as talcum powder. During a volcanic eruption,

the ash can be breathed deep into the lungs and cause irritation even in healthy

people. But once it falls from a greater distance - like from the cloud

currently hovering above Europe - its health effects are often minimal, experts

say.

The Icelandic volcano that erupted Wednesday has sent an enormous cloud of

microscopic basalt ash particles across northern Europe, grounding aircraft

across continent. It is drifting above 20,000 feet (6,000 meters), high and

invisible from the ground.

" Not all particles are created equal, " said Ken son, a professor of

respiratory toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, who has studied the

impact of volcanic ash in people. " In the great scheme of things, volcanic ash

is not all that harmful. "

son said most Europeans' exposure to volcanic ash would be negligible and

that only those in the near vicinity of the Icelandic volcano would likely be at

risk.

" Once the volcanic particles are in the stratosphere, they're getting massively

diluted because there's a lot of air and other particles blowing around, " he

said.

He said after previous volcanic eruptions, little impact has been seen in

people's health, except for those with lung problems who were close to the

volcano.

Dr. Spiro, a professor of respiratory medicine and deputy chair of the

British Lung Foundation, said the further the particles travel, they more

diluted and less dangerous they will be. " The cloud has already passed over

northern Scotland and we haven't heard of any ill effects there, " he said. Spiro

said to wear masks or stay indoors to avoid volcanic ash was " over the top " and

" a bit hysterical. "

" If this was really coming down, you'd see a yellow (tinge) in the air from the

sulphur, " he said. " But we've seen no sign of that. "

Britain's Health Protection Agency said the concentration of volcanic particles

that might settle on the ground was likely to be low and should not cause

serious harm. The agency said people with respiratory problems like bronchitis

and asthma might experience more symptoms like itchy eyes, a sore throat and dry

cough. It advised those people to carry their inhalers or medicines with them

and said any health effects were likely to be short-term.

Experts said the irritants in volcanic ash were likely to be very diluted by the

winds by the time they hit continental Europe, and that any rainfall would also

lessen their effects.

" People with health problems shouldn't sit around outside looking up at this

cloud because there could be microscopic particles falling down, " said Dr.

Pascal Imperato, dean of the public health school at the State University of New

York Downstate Medical Center, who worked on the response to the eruption of

Mount St. Helens in 1980. " But for most people, they will not experience any

major breathing or other difficulties. "

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