Ethiopian volcanic ash in Delhi — Should you be worried about your health? What precautions should you take? Explained

With the ash clouds from Ethiopia's Hayli Gubbi Volcano reaching Delhi NCR, residents are concerned about its health effects, given that the national capital has already been suffering from poor air quality for over a month.

A volcano in northern Ethiopia erupted for the first time in almost 10,000 years, sending high columns of ash into the atmosphere and triggering meteorological departments across the world. Fast upper-level winds carried the debris and ashes thousands of kilometres, with India getting affected for a brief period as a cloud passed over its northern and western parts.

How did the Ethiopian volcano ash travel?

The Ethiopian volcano ash mass had initially entered Gujarat on Monday before spreading overnight across regions including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi-NCR, Haryana and Punjab.

The plume of volcanic ash, which moved across northwest India on Monday and briefly disrupted flights, has since begun shifting towards China.

The ashes from the plume rose as high as 14 kilometres.

Ash columns from the Ethiopian volcanic eruption in the Afar region, approximately 800 km northeast of Addis Ababa, near the Eritrean border, were carried across the Red Sea to Yemen and Oman by strong upper-level winds, eventually drifting over the Arabian Sea into western and northern India.

The IMD noted that the plume travelled along high-altitude wind currents that transported it "from Ethiopia across the Red Sea to Yemen and Oman and further over the Arabian Sea towards western and northern India," with satellite tools, VAAC bulletins and dispersion modelling aiding its monitoring.

What is volcanic ash?

Volcanic ash is not the same as the typical ash we see from fires. It carries fine particles of fragmented volcanic rock of less than 2 mm diameter.

Volcanic ash is a mixture of rock, mineral, and glass particles expelled from a volcano during a volcanic eruption. Due to their tiny size, they can travel for thousands of kilometres and can often cause health issues if inhaled in high concentrations.

Ethiopian volcanic ashes in Delhi: What are its health impacts?

According to the International Volcanic Health Hazard Network (IVHHN), inhaling ash can have respiratory effects, eye symptoms, skin irritation and indirect effects.

As per the CDC, most health effects of volcanic ash are short-term in nature. They include:

• Irritation of the eyes or airways
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Rapid or difficult breathing
• Visual disturbances
• Tremors

You can also experience nasal irritation, a runny nose, a sore throat, and a dry cough, among others.

Long-term effects include bronchitis and infection of the lung, even lung cancer. People with asthma, children and infants, and people with chronic respiratory or cardiac conditions.

How to protect yourself?

The CDC lists these precautions to protect yourself from volcanic ash —

• Staying indoors and keeping doors and windows shut.
• If venturing out, use NIOSH Approved N95 respirator while outdoors or when cleaning up.
• Use glasses and goggles to protect your eyes.
• Carry your medication and wear long sleeves and full pants to protect your body from being exposed.