Europeans should try to stay indoors if ash from Icelands volcano starts settling, the World Health Organization warned Friday as small amounts fell in Iceland, Scotland and Norway.
WHO spokesman Daniel Epstein said the microscopic(微小的) ash is potentially dangerous for people when it starts to reach the Earth because inhaled(吸入) particles can enter the lungs and cause respiratory problems. And he also said Europeans who go outside might want to consider wearing a mask.
Other experts, however, werent convinced the volcanic ash would have a major effect on peoples health and said WHOs warnings were hysterical. They said volcanic ash was much less dangerous than cigarette smoke or pollution. Volcanic ash is made of fine particles of fragmented volcanic rock. It is light gray to black and can be as fine as talcum powder. During a volcanic eruption, the ash can be breathed deep into the lungs and cause irritation even in healthy people. But once it falls from a greater distance like from the cloud currently hovering above Europe its health effects are often minimal, experts say.
Not all particles are created equal, said Ken Donaldson, a professor of respiratory toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, In the great scheme of things, volcanic ash is not all that harmful. And he said most Europeans exposure to volcanic ash would be negligible and that only those in the near districts of the Icelandic volcano would likely be at risk.
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