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Dangerous lava haze called 'laze' is rising in dramatic plumes around Hawaii - here's what it looks like
Dangerous lava haze called 'laze' is rising in dramatic plumes around Hawaii - here's what it looks like
Hilary BrueckMay 22, 2018, 03:46 IST
People take photos on a tour boat as steam plumes rise while lava enters the Pacific Ocean, after flowing to the water from a Kilauea volcano fissure, on Hawaii's Big Island on May 20, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii. Officials are concerned that 'laze', a dangerous product produced when hot lava hits cool ocean water, will affect residents. Laze, a word combination of lava and haze, contains hydrochloric acid steam along with volcanic glass particles.Mario Tama/Getty Images
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Hawaii's Kilauea volcano isn't just spewing lava into the air anymore. That lava is flowing into the water, leading to a dangerous concoction called laze.
Laze - a combination of the words lava and haze - is the product of a chemical reaction that happens when molten, 2,140-degree-Fahrenheit lava hits the ocean. The sea water gets boiled, creating a messy mix of hydrochloric acid, steam, and tiny glass particles.
The noxious plumes of laze are extremely dangerous for people to breathe. Hawaii's civil defense is sounding the alarm to residents, warning that laze can cause lung damage, eye and skin irritation, and even death in serious cases.
Take a look at how it forms and why it's so hazardous:
Lava began dripping into the water around Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday and Sunday.
The laze started rising around the same time that the Kilauea volcano eruption claimed its first serious injury: a man sitting on his third-floor porch got lava-bombed and was hospitalized with a shattered leg.
Laze is created when ocean water comes into contact with volcanic heat. The liquid evaporates, which leads magnesium salts to form and mix with the steam.
"Seawater must be boiled almost completely dry before magnesium salts form," according to the USGS.
When the salts come in contact with the steam, together they create dangerously corrosive hydrogen chloride. It can be deadly when inhaled in high doses.
Hydrogen chloride can create a fluid buildup in the lungs, called pulmonary edema, which can cause serious chest pain, coughing, and fatigue. Even sniffing a little bit of the gas can irritate your eyes and skin, and make it hard to breathe, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Laze killed two people in Hawaii in 2000, according to Reuters.
The USGS says there are other spots around the globe where volcanic lava oozes into the water, including Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, Montagu Island in the South Atlantic, and Stromboli volcano off the coast of Sicily.
