Many people in the capital area woke up this morning to find their cars covered in a layer of volcanic debris, after ash from the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull carried by the wind fell from the sky. The situation is significantly worse closer to the eruption site, and one infectiologist is monitoring the effects of ash on people’s health. He considers the ash to be having primarily psychological effects at the moment.

Considering the appearance of many cars in the capital area this morning, car washes across the region should be looking at a roaring trade today. Although Eyjafjallajökull is no longer spewing ash over Suðurland, the ash that has already fallen is being carried around the entire country on the wind, bringing about poor atmospheric conditions.

Yesterday there was a significant amount of particle pollution in the air in the capital area.

“For the majority of people here in Reykjavík, this will not have an effect on health. There was an ashy haze over the the city yesterday, and when it rained later in the day the dust that was up in the atmosphere was carried down, as can be widely seen on cars this morning,” said Haraldur Briem, infectiologist at the Directorate of Health.

“It is not known to cause persistent or delayed symptoms or conditions, but we want to know as much about this as possible and we are therefore doing research [close to the eruption site].” Haraldur goes on to say that it is an extremely difficult situation for those in the area to live under the current circumstances, adding that it evidently causes people a lot of distress, but also that this seems to be the current extent of the ash’s effect on people’s health.

Source and image: visir.is

Labels: Eyjafjallajökull, Health