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Vog is a portmanteau of the words "volcanic" and "smog
Smog

Smog is a kind of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Classic smog results from large amounts of coal burning in an area caused by a mixture of smoke and sulfur dioxide....
," and a volcanic smog is formed when sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide

Sulfur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula SO2. It is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide....
 and other gases emitted by an erupting volcano
Volcano

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or Crust , which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface....
 mix with oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
 and moisture in the presence of sunlight
Sunlight

Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total spectroscopy of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is Filter ed through the Earth's atmosphere, and the solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon....
. The term is most often applied to the island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)

The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcano island in the U.S. Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean....
, where the Kilauea
Kilauea

Kilauea is an active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five shield volcanoes that together form the Hawaii . In Hawaiian language, the word kilauea means "spewing" or "much spreading", in reference to the mountain's frequent outpouring of lava....
 volcano has been erupting continuously since 1983.






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Encyclopedia


Vog Hilo Bay 2005
Vog is a portmanteau of the words "volcanic" and "smog
Smog

Smog is a kind of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Classic smog results from large amounts of coal burning in an area caused by a mixture of smoke and sulfur dioxide....
," and a volcanic smog is formed when sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide

Sulfur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula SO2. It is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide....
 and other gases emitted by an erupting volcano
Volcano

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or Crust , which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface....
 mix with oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
 and moisture in the presence of sunlight
Sunlight

Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total spectroscopy of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is Filter ed through the Earth's atmosphere, and the solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon....
. The term is most often applied to the island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)

The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcano island in the U.S. Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean....
, where the Kilauea
Kilauea

Kilauea is an active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five shield volcanoes that together form the Hawaii . In Hawaiian language, the word kilauea means "spewing" or "much spreading", in reference to the mountain's frequent outpouring of lava....
 volcano has been erupting continuously since 1983. Kilauea emits an estimated 2,000 tons of vog every day.

Description

Vog is created when volcanic gases (specifically oxides of nitrogen
Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
) react with sunlight, oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
 and moisture
Moisture

Moisture generally refers to the presence of water, often in trace amounts.The moisture content is often an important aspect of various Food including cheese and many dried goods such as tea where excess moisture can promote Bacteria, Bacterial decay, Mold, or Rot over time....
. 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
Asthma

Asthma is a common chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in which the Lung constrict, become inflammation, and are lined with excessive amounts of thickened mucus, often in response to one or more triggers....
 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
Hawaii

File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
, vog mostly affects the Kona coast on the west side of the Island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)

The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcano island in the U.S. Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean....
, where the prevailing trade wind
Trade wind

The trade winds are the Prevailing winds of easterlies surface winds found in the tropics near the Earth's equator. The trade winds blow predominantly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere....
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
Smog

Smog is a kind of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Classic smog results from large amounts of coal burning in an area caused by a mixture of smoke and sulfur dioxide....
 both contain harmful chemicals that can damage the environment, human health, and the health of 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
Sulfur dioxide

Sulfur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula SO2. It is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide....
), incomplete combustion
Combustion

Combustion or burning is a complex sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat or both heat and light in the form of either a glow or flames, appearance of light flickering....
 of fuels (carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colorless and odorless, tasteless, yet highly toxic gas. Its molecules consist of one carbon atom covalent bond to one oxygen atom....
), and the chemical union of O2 and N2 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
Sulfur dioxide

Sulfur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula SO2. It is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide....
 (SO2) which irritates the lungs. When vog and/or smog levels are high the sky will tend to look yellowish grey like the skies of Beijing
Beijing

is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
, Kiev
Kiev

Kiev, also known as Kyiv , is the Capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River....
, Calcutta, Mexico City
Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the most important economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country; the most populous city with over 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008....
, and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
. 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


People with pre-existing respiratory conditions are more prone to adverse effects of vog which may include: headaches, breathing difficulties, increased susceptibility to respiratory ailments, watery eyes, and sore throat. The long-term health effects of vog are unknown.

See also

  • Smog
    Smog

    Smog is a kind of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Classic smog results from large amounts of coal burning in an area caused by a mixture of smoke and sulfur dioxide....
  • Kilauea
    Kilauea

    Kilauea is an active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five shield volcanoes that together form the Hawaii . In Hawaiian language, the word kilauea means "spewing" or "much spreading", in reference to the mountain's frequent outpouring of lava....


External links

  • Hawaii Air Quality Conditions & Forecasts http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.fcsummary&stateid=15
  • USGS Vog: A Volcanic Hazard
  • State of Hawaii Office of the Governor Vog: Important Information and Facts
  • NIOSH Respirator Selection Logic: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-100/
  • Video of Vog in Hawaii http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6zukeZ7aEg