Volcanic ash falls across Europe

Apr 16 2010

By Candy Lashkari

Flights were cancelled across Europe today thanks to volcanic ash drifting in to northern Europe from Iceland. More than 250 flights were grounded from London’s Gatwick and Heathrow airports alone, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. The ash is drifting in from a volcanic eruption in Iceland and the cloud is capable of damaging jet engines that travel through it.

As a precautionary measure, authorities in Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belgium also closed their air space. Several flights from America had to turn around and head back. Most of the flights will stay grounded till at least mid day on Friday. This is the largest disruption of civil aviation since the terror attacks of 2001.

A volcano beneath Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier erupted on Wednesday the second time this month. It has triggered floods and has shot up smoke and steam miles into the air. Spectacular video footage shows hot gases melting thick ice and sending water cascading down the steep volcanoes slopes.

The menacing volcanic ash cloud is drifting between 20,00 feet and 36,000 feet. This ash will affect aircraft visibility and could shut down the engines if it gets sucked in. Meterologists from the AccuWeather forecasting service say that the problem will persist till Sunday. While Einar Kjartansson, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office says depending on the wind the ash may get carried forward for a week.

The effect of volcanic ash on the respiratory system is being warned by health experts. The volcanic ash can cause various eye, nose and throat related problems. While inhaling the hot ash and coarser particles from within a dense pyroclastic flow results in burns and asphyxiation resulting in death. This ash cloud should have had time to cool off but long term health effects of inhaling even this cooled ash may be felt.

Nasal irritation, runny discharge, throat irritation, dry coughing, wheezing, or plain shortness of breath can be associated with inhaling volcanic ash particles. As a precautionary measure try and wear a face mask when outside to reduce the exposure and inhalation of volcanic ash. Thos who suffer from asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema should take extra precautions in view of the settling ash cloud.

The composition of the ash which includes minerals such as quartz, cristobalite or tridymite can also cause health related problems. A fatal lung disease is caused by free crystalline silica known as silicosis which is commonly found in mine workers and quarry workers who get exposed to high concentrations of siliceous dust for long time periods.

The true effects of this ash cloud may not be felt for a long time. So make sure that you take all the precautions that you can against breathing the volcanic ash in. Stay indoors as long as you can help it. If you must go outside ensure that you have face masks on to filter out the worst of the coarse ash particles.