B A T A N G A S
CITY, (PIA) — The Calabarzon Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (RDRRMC) has
warned the public about
the dangers of exposure
to volcanic gases as Taal
Volcano continues to spew
unhealthy amounts of sulfur dioxide.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (PHIVOLCS)
Volcano Monitoring and
Eruption Prediction Division chief, Ma. Antonia
Bornas said inhalation of
volcanic smog–more commonly known as vog–can
cause irritation of the eyes,
throat and respiratory tract
with severities depending
on concentration and duration of exposure.
“This is also dangerous to those with preexisting health conditions
such as asthma, heart and
lung diseases, as well as
the more vulnerable ones
like the elderly, pregnant
women, and children. We
are repeatedly advising
the public to limit their exposure to vog by staying
indoors and using N95
masks,”
Bornas said
during an RDRRMC meeting on October 9 that they
have observed for the first
time a prolonged high-concentration volcanic degassing in the volcano, similar
to what happened at the
Miyakejima Island in Japan when Mount Oyama
emitted volcanic gases for
five years after it erupted
in 2000.
“May mga cycle
na tumataas [at] bumababa, pero it is generally decreasing. We can expect
that this will go on for five
(5) years [and] we have
been experiencing this for
two and a half years.”
When mixed with
rainfall, volcanic gas emission also converts into
acid rain which can damage crops and corrode
metal surfaces such as
roofs and vehicles.
On October 8,
the Department of Health
(DOH) IV-A logged 714
cases of respiratory complaints due to exposure to
volcanic gases, including
638 in Batangas, 49 in
Cavite, 16 in Laguna, and
11 in Rizal Province who
have experienced symptoms such as fever, eye
and respiratory irritation,
sore throat, breathing difficulties, cough, rashes,
and other symptoms.
“We acknowledge that not all the [risk]
factors are measurable
and that they are supporting evidence. But the diagnoses and actions should
not be based solely on instrumental data. We need
preemptive and proactive
measures. Aside from the
scientific measurements,
we need to undertake
other actions that are proactive.” DOH Region 4A
Disaster Risk Reduction
Management in Health
head, Dr. Voltaire Guadalupe said.
Several local
government units in the
region suspended face-toface classes on Monday to
lessen the students’ exposure to unhealthy air.
Air quality assessment by the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources
(DENR) – Environmental Management Bureau
(EMB) IV-A shows 0.071
ppm sulfur dioxide concentration in Tagaytay City
on October 8.
“This means that
the [air quality] was still
okay, but we are already
alarmed due to the high
concentration of sulfur dioxide in the ambient air.”
explained EMB Environmental Specialist, Stephanie Rei Batungbakal.
Meanwhile, its
Talisay monitoring station
reported better air quality,
recording normal sulfur
dioxide, PM10 and PM2.5
concentration levels on
October 7.
In its October 10
advisory, PHIVOLCS said
that Taal Volcano remains
under Alert Level 1 as
upwelling of volcanic fluids is still being observed
in the Main Crater Lake.
Entry into the Taal Volcano Island Main Crater and
Daang Kastila fissures remain prohibited, as well as
boating, occupancy, and
flying any aircraft close to
the volcano (PB/PIA-4A)
