THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology debunked reports that the haze which covered a huge chunk of the National Capital Region was caused by the volcanic ashes from Taal Volcano.
According to Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol, the haze or the obscure skyline over Metro Manila on Monday is likely caused by local pollutants.
As of 10 a.m. Monday, the air quality monitoring of the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR) showed unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups in stations in Caloocan, Parañaque, and Pateros, while Makati logged very unhealthy air quality levels.
Amid the haze, the Department of Education (DepEd) issued a memorandum instructing local government units surrounding Taal Volcano and even parts of Cavite, Laguna, and Metro Manila to suspend face-to-face classes “due to vog.”
In a bulletin on Monday, Phivolcs said Taal spewed 3,355 tons per day of sulfur dioxide on August 15. Bacolcol however insisted that this “isn’t much.”
However, due to the calm winds around the volcano, the gasses were not dispersed, leading to the formation of vog around the area.
Vog forms when sulfur dioxide interacts with moisture, surface oxygen, other volcanic gasses and particles, and sunlight.
In a health advisory issued on Monday, the Department of Health said vog could irritate the eyes, throat, and respiratory tract, which could lead to more serious conditions, depending on the amount or the duration of the exposure.
DOH likewise called on the public to avoid going outdoors to limit exposure to vog, shut doors and windows to prevent the entry of vog at home, cover nose and mouth and wear N95 mask, if available and drink lots of water. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
