Magnificent Fagradalsfjall volcano eruption and lava flow in Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland in 2021
From time immemorial, people were fascinated by the idea of a mountain suddenly spewing forth hot, molten lava and smoke all over a local area. It’s exciting. It’s also a little scary.
Volcanoes have been the centerpiece of many a high school science project. They’re a fascinating part of global topography. They’re widely depicted in comic books and cartoons, etc. They look cool. And they have a certain iconography to them as part of a landscape.
We know not to get too close to these volcanic eruptions, as we learn as children to play the game of “hot lava,” jumping from one couch, cushion or piece of furniture to another.
But what we don’t understand as well are the secondary health effects from volcanic emissions. These are often delivered by smoke and gases. You might see this smoke and not think about the effect. But it’s there.
What is Volcanic Laze?
Essentially the term volcanic “laze” is a portmanteau, which is a combination of two distinct words, in this case, lava and haze.
Lava and haze equals “laze.”
So volcanic “laze” is the hazy condition of the air, introduced by the lava and the resulting smoke.
Sometimes you can see it in the air – at lower levels, you may not. In some cases, you can smell the laze. It might seem like just a detail.
What’s happening, though, is that certain amounts of PM 2.5 get into the air, and this is a type of microparticle that has an effect on human health.
What is PM 2.5?
PM 2.5 can come from a lot of things – it can come from vehicle exhaust, it can come from industrial pollution, and it can come from natural wildfires or volcanic eruptions.
It could even come from your small campfire at home. Keep that in mind.
So it’s important to know about the health risk connected to these microparticles. Think about how to improve your air quality for safety purposes.
Indoor and Outdoor Air Safety
There’s only so much you can do outdoors, but in your home, you can run an air purifier machine to trap potentially harmful particles and eliminate them from the airflow.
Talk to US Air Purifiers LLC about getting the right model of air purifier to feel confident about the air in your home.