Stay Informed

Health Effects of a Volcanic Eruption

Inhaling volcanic gases and ash can affect your health, but by taking simple precautions, you can minimize the impact. Exposure to volcanic gases or ash can lead to the following:

Nasal irritation and discharge (runny nose)
Throat irritation or dry cough
Wheezing and shortness of breath
Worsening of asthma, COPD or other respiratory conditions
Chest pressure or pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, and irregular heartbeat

People most likely to experience negative health effects from volcanic gases and ash include people with asthma or COPD, other chronic respiratory or cardiac conditions and children and babies. When a volcanic eruption occurs, follow local guidance on how to respond.

To limit exposure to gases and ash, stay indoors if possible and follow these steps:

Close all outside doors and windows.
Turn off all heating and air conditioning units and fans.
Close any fireplace or woodstove dampers.
Try to keep pets indoors. If pets must go outside, brush ash off before letting them back inside.

Take the following precautions if you need to be outside:

Avoid ashfall as much as you can.
Reduce your chances of inhaling ash by wearing a NIOSH Approved N95 respirator while outdoors or when cleaning up. N95 respirators can be purchased at businesses such as hardware stores. Check that it is sealed tightly to your face.
Carry your rescue inhalers with you if you have asthma or COPD.
Wear long sleeves and long pants to avoid skin irritation.
Use goggles to protect your eyes. Avoid wearing contact lenses.
Do not drive unless absolutely necessary. If you must drive, activate your car recirculation button, drive slowly and use your windshield washer system anytime you must use your wipers.

If you start to have symptoms, move indoors as your symptoms should improve or stop when you are away from the ash and gases. If your symptoms are worsening or severe, call 911.

Additional Resources from the state of Alaska:

Ash Alert!

FAQ Mount Spurr Volcanic Ash

State of AK Volcano Information

Asthma and Exercise: Tips to Remember

Do you cough, wheeze and have a tight chest or shortness of breath when you exercise?

If yes, you may have excercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). This happens when the tubes that bring air into and out of your lungs narrow with exercise, causing symptoms of asthma.

An estimated 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma, according to the World Health Organization, and strenuous exercise makes it worse for many people. Some people with EIB do not otherwise have asthma, and people with allergies may also have trouble breathing during exercise.

Symptoms
If you have EIB, you may have problems breathing within five to 20 minutes after exercise. Your symptoms may include:
• Wheezing
• Tight chest
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain (rarely)

Triggers
People with EIB are very sensitive to both low temperatures and dry air. Air is usually warmed and humidified by the nose, but during demanding activity people breathe more through their mouths. This allows cold, dry air to reach your lower airways and your lungs without passing through your nose, triggering asthma symptoms. Air pollutants, high pollen levels and viral respiratory infections may also be triggers. Other causes of symptoms with exercise may be that you are out of shape, have poorly controlled nasal allergies or vocal chord issues.

Diagnosis
Wheezing or tightness in your chest can be serious, so let your physician know about your symptoms. Your physician can help you by:
• Getting your health history
• Doing a breathing test (called spirometry) at rest
• Doing a follow-up exercise challenge test

If your breathing test shows that you might have asthma, your physician may give you a drug to inhale such as albuterol. If your breathing test numbers improve after inhaling the medicine, then the diagnosis of asthma is more likely.

If your breathing test is normal, you may be asked to take an additional test, called a bronchoprovocation challenge test. Your physician will have you exercise in the sport you play, run outside, or have you cycle or run on a treadmill. Before and after the exercise, your physician will test the amount of air you force out of your lungs with a spirometry test. If you exhale air less forcefully after exercise, then the problem may be EIB.

Treatment

The first step is to develop a treatment plan with your physician. EIB associated with more generalized asthma is prevented with controller medications taken regularly (such as mast cell stabilizers, inhaled steroids and leukotriene modifiers) or by using medicines before you exercise (short-acting beta-agonists such as albuterol). When EIB symptoms occur, they can be treated with short-acting beta-agonists.

In addition to medications, warm-ups and cool-downs may prevent or lessen EIB symptoms. You may want to limit exercise when you have a viral infection, temperatures are low, or pollen and air pollution levels are high.

*courtesy of the AAAAI website