You might have heard there’s a ‘toxic cloud’ coming our way, here’s what you need to know
The Met Office has spoken out after there were warnings made about a cloud of ‘toxic gas’ which could impact air quality in the UK.
It’s been caused by a volcanic eruption from Iceland, marking the sixth time the same volcano has erupted since December last year.
The eruption began on Thursday (22 August) after a series of strong earthquakes. With repeated eruptions many in the surrounding area have relocated for their safety, and strong winds have blown the toxic gas around.
Where it may pose a danger, however, is that the gas contains sulphur dioxide, an air pollutant with a strong stench which can be harmful to people.
It can irritate your eyes and harm your lungs, so a cloud of it heading for the UK isn’t exactly cause for celebration.
However, the Met Office have issued a statement reassuring people that while the sulphur dioxide is coming over the UK, it shouldn’t have much of an impact on us.
What’s all this about a toxic cloud? (Getty Stock Photo)
A Met Office spokesperson told LADbible: “A sulphur dioxide plume which originated from the volcano in Iceland has been crossing the UK high up in the atmosphere and will clear to the southeast in the coming hours.
“Impacts have been low from this sulphur dioxide, as it is high in the atmosphere and is having little influence on ground-level air quality.
“Small concentrations at surface level mean that the air pollution levels remain low.
“Air pollution is currently Low, and expected to remain that way for the whole of the UK today.
“We’re continuing to monitor any sulphur dioxide release originating from Iceland, with current forecasts suggesting little influence on UK surface air pollution in the coming days.”
It’s been caused by a volcano in Iceland erupting for the sixth time since December. (Almannavarnadeild/Anadolu via Getty Images)
With the toxic gas high above us and soon to clear, the Met Office expects that the actual impact this would have on the air Brits breath is likely to remain low.
The cloud having ‘little influence on ground-level air quality’ is a good thing, and they have forecast that it’s not going to do much over the coming days either.
According to the UK government, sulphur dioxide is toxic whether it’s inhaled or exposed to the skin and eyes.
At low levels, it might irritate your nose and throat, higher exposure could make you sick and cause ‘corrosive damage to the airways and lungs’, though as the Met Office said it’s having ‘little influence’ on the air we breathe.
People with asthma might be more sensitive to the impact of sulphur dioxide, however.
Featured Image Credit: Windy.com/Getty Stock Photo
