Philippine issues health warning as volcano brings smog to capital
\nMANILA
\nA small but restive volcano near the Philippine capital Manila spewed above average sulfur dioxide and volcanic smog on Friday, prompting authorities to closes schools in five cities and dozens of towns and urge people to stay indoors.
\nThe state volcanology and seismology institute said it observed upwelling of hot volcanic fluids in the Taal volcano\u2019s crater lake, resulting in the emission of volcanic gases.
\nThe alert remained at level 1 on a five-level scale, denoting a \u201cslight increase in volcanic earthquake, and steam or gas activity\u201d.
\nLocated in a scenic lake in Batangas province near Manila, the 311-metre (1,020-foot) Taal is among the most active of 24 volcanoes in the Philippines.
\nIn January 2020, it spewed a column of ash and steam as high as 15 km (9.32 miles), forcing more than 100,000 people to evacuate and dozens of flight cancellations as heavy ash fell as far away as Manila.
\n\u201cWe have reports of respiratory illnesses in Batangas province due to intoxication from the volcanic smog,\u201d Randy Dela Paz, operations section chief at the civil defence\u2019s southern Manila office, told DWPM radio.
\nVolcanic smog, or vog, consists of fine droplets containing volcanic gas like sulfur that can cause irritation of the eyes, throat and respiratory tract.
\nAuthorities suspended Friday classes in dozens of towns and cities Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas provinces adjacent to Taal volcano, and in five cities in the capital region.
\nThe aviation authority on Friday told pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano\u2019s summit \u201cas airborne ash and ballistic fragments from sudden explosions may pose hazards to aircrafts\u201d.
\nThe Philippines is in the Pacific \u201cRing of Fire,\u201d where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Philippine issues health warning as volcano brings smog to capital MANILA A small but restive volcano near the Philippine capital Manila spewed above average sulfur dioxide and volcanic smog on Friday, prompting authorities to closes schools in five cities and dozens of towns and urge people to stay indoors. The state volcanology and seismology institute […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-357680","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n