Taal residents urged: Stay indoors, wear face masks

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SCIENCE and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum yesterday urged residents near Taal Volcano in Batangas to take precautions amid the increased degassing activity of the volcano.

During the Laging Handa public briefing, Solidum said residents should stay indoors and wear masks if they smell foul odor caused by the volcano’s emission of sulfur dioxide.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has said Taal has increased degassing, in the form of upwelling of volcanic fluids in the main crater lake and emission of voluminous steam-rich plumes, since the start of this month.

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The emission of the sulfur dioxide has produced significant volcanic smog or vog over the Taal Caldera. Vog consists of fine droplets containing sulfur dioxide.

“Vog or volcanic smog is caused by the interaction of sulfur dioxide or gas and moist or water vapor. Magma underneath Taal Volcano continues to emit gas, we call that degassing,” said Solidum.

“That’s hot and when it reaches (the Taal main crater), it causes boiling of ground water, that’s why people see white smoke that is sometimes two to three kilometers high,” added Solidum.

He said smog can drift to nearby areas.

“Due to the concentration of gas, sometimes they can be smelled by people. We should be careful because that’s dangerous to our health. It can cause irritation to our eyes, nose and throat and, of course, if you have a lung problem, this can cause complications,” said Solidum.

“So it’s important that we stay inside our house if we smell foul odor from sulfur dioxide, drink a lot of water,” Solidum said, adding people should be ready to wear face masks, preferably N95, if they will go out of their residence.

“The concentration of the gas is actually around the (Taal Volcano) island but if the wind is strong, depending on the direction, they reach areas around Taal and even farther,” said Solidum.

“That depends on the wind direction but there are times when it reaches barangays of Laurel, Agoncillo and Talisay (towns, near the west and northwest part of the volcano),” he said.

In a bulletin yesterday, Phivolcs said it has recorded one volcanic tremor over the past 24 hours, compared to zero from the previous 24-hour period.

It said Taal emitted 4,827 tons of sulfur dioxide on Sunday and upwelling of hot volcanic fluids in the main crater lake continues. It said vog was also observed.

It said it monitored two-kilometer high plumes that drifted northeast and southwest.

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