First it was catastrophic lava. Then it was sulfur dioxide. Now Big Island residents have yet another danger to worry about. Laze — a mashup of «lava» and «haze» — is a nasty product formed when hot lava hits the ocean, sending hydrochloric acid and volcanic glass particles into the air. 2 weeks after eruption, residents say it’s getting worse. And now it’s a real threat after lava crossed Highway 137 late Saturday night and entered the Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said.
Laze can cause lung, eye and skin irritation. And it has proven deadly in the past.
«This hot, corrosive gas mixture caused two deaths immediately adjacent to the coastal entry point in 2000, when seawater washed across recent and active lava flows,» the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Officials are warning people to stay away from areas where lava meets the ocean. But further inland, residents have other problems.
The HVO also reported sulfur dioxide emissions have tripled.
