Vog
1078820
225956924
2008-07-16T05:14:02Z
Rclocher3
3118112
Subscripted the numbers in SO2, etc., and added internal links to the sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide articles.
[[Image:Vog_hilo_bay_2005.jpg|thumb|Dense '''vog''' as seen from [[Hilo]] Bay, [[Hawaii|Hawai‘i]]]]
'''Vog''' is a [[portmanteau]] (blended word) from the words "volcanic" and "[[smog]]," and a '''volcanic smog''' is formed when [[sulfur dioxide]] and other gases emitted by an erupting [[volcano]] mix with [[oxygen]] and moisture in the presence of [[sunlight]]. The term is most often applied to the island of [[Hawaii (island)|Hawaii]], where the [[Kilauea|Kīlauea]] volcano has been erupting continuously since [[1983]]. Kilauea emits an estimated 2,000 tons of vog every day.
==General Information==
Vog is created when volcanic gases (specifically oxides of [[nitrogen]]) react with sunlight, [[oxygen]] and [[moisture]]. It is made up of a mixture of gases and aerosols, which makes it hard to study and potentially more dangerous than either on their own. Although vog has not been as extensively studied as it could be, it has been found that most of the aerosols are acidic and of a size where they can remain in the lungs where they can damage the lungs and impair function. People who have been exposed to vog report headaches, breathing difficulties (including inducing [[asthma]] attacks), flu-like symptoms, and general [[lethargy]]. These effects are especially pronounced with children. Most studies of vog have been in areas where vog is present, and not of the effects of vog itself (in controlled conditions).
In [[Hawaii]], vog mostly affects the western Kona coast of the Island of [[Hawaii (island)|Hawaii]], where the prevailing [[trade wind]]s blow the vog to the southwest and wind patterns then blow it north up the Kona-Kohala coast. Prolonged periods of southerly Kona winds, however, can cause vog to affect the eastern side of the Island on rare occasions, and affect the entire state as well.
==Comparing Vog with Smog==
Vog and [[smog]] both contain harmful chemicals that can damage the environment and the health of humans and other animals. However, they are different. Vog is a volcanic mixture that includes gases and [[aerosols]] which react with oxygen, moisture, and sunlight. Smog is formed from certain chemicals resulting from the oxidation of fuels ([[sulfur dioxide]]), incomplete [[combustion]] of fuels ([[carbon monoxide]]), and the chemical union of O<sub>2</sub> and N<sub>2</sub> in internal combustion engines.
Vog and smog both share similarities as well, they both cause acid rain, and they are both hazardous for plants and animals (including humans) to breathe. Vog and smog both primarily contain the harmful chemical [[sulfur dioxide]] (SO<sub>2</sub>) which irritates the lungs. When vog and/or smog levels are high the sky will tend to look grey like the skies of [[Los Angeles]]. Once the vog/smog has cleared up, the sky may have grey spots for a time due to vog/smog trapped in the inversion layer.
==Health Hazards==
Vog can cause health problems causing irritated [[eyes]], [[skin]] and [[lungs]]. It can cause lung diseases such as [[asthma]], [[lung cancer]], and [[bronchitis]]. [[Lungs]] can be permanently damaged after long exposure to vog. The amount of damage depends on how much vog the lungs have been exposed to and how sensitive the lungs are. Vog can irritate the eyes, nose, skin, throat, tissues, and [[mucous]] membranes. Due to the vog particle’s small size it can penetrate deep into the lungs where sulfur compounds can mix with water to become acidic. Vog can also cause acid rain, which can contaminate rainwater catchment systems and leach lead from roofing materials nails and gutters and water storage containers.
== See also ==
* [[Smog]]
* [[Kilauea]]
== External links ==
*[http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/1996/96_05_29.html Vog: A Volcanic Hazard]
[[Category:Hawaii weather]]
[[Category:Smog]]
[[Category:Volcanology]]