Page 44 - Respiratory Problems News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Stephanie, hello to you. what is the greatest danger here, toxic gas, ash, lava, all of the above? >> reporter: it's so dynamic, don. it's hard to say demanding on -- depending on where you are, one could be an issue more than the other. we know since i last spoke to you from the summit of kilauea, there was an ash explosion soaring ash up into the sky some 8,000 feet. that could make for respiratory problems. luckily it was the middle of the night here. but here in the eastern rift zone, i know most of us think of the volcano exploding from the top, but a lot of it is coming from this side ea...

Intense explosions that could send huge boulders like the size of a small car shooting up into the air up to half a mile away. they're keeping an eye on lowering the lava lake in the middle of the crater, raising the potential for explosions and for more giant ash plumes that could rise as high as 20,000 feet. many residents are worried about how the toxic gas might affect them. >> respiratory problems, heart conditions, any of that sulfur dioxide coming over is really harmful. if there were an ash fallout, that would be a big concern. it could get into our water systems, clog up our pumps. >>...

Sulfur dioxide. we get the magma column dropping. pressure begins to build as everything heats up and, well, when that happens, we get an explosive eruption. that's the next phase of this calamity that probably will get under way. that has not happened yet. they'll continue to monitor this lava lake. although we've lost it at this point. this was april 23. watch as the lava continues to sink in. it is headed towards that water table and once it gets there, that's when we're expecting things to really get going here as we take a look at our infrared camera the last few days. i'll leave you with...

Intense explosions that could send huge boulders like the size of a small car shooting up into the air up to half a mile away. they're keeping an eye on lowering the lava lake in the middle of the crater, raising the potential for explosions and for more giant ash plumes that could rise as high as 20,000 feet. many residents are worried about how the toxic gas might affect them. >> respiratory problems, heart conditions, any of that sulfur dioxide coming over is really harmful. if there were an ash fallout, that would be a big concern. it could get into our water systems, clog up our pumps. >>...

Away. it happened once before back in 1924 when blocks weighing 14 tons were blasted from the crater.>> we plan for the worst. we hope for the best. and based upon what the assessments are that's coming from the ãwe try to look at contingency plans. >>reporter: if molten rock flying through the air aren't enough, there's also the possibility of ash plumes that could go as high as 20,000 feet and as wide as 12 miles from the summit crater. the volcano is already spewing dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide. it has a pungent odor that irritates skin and tissues in the eyes, nose and throat. exper...