DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Diamond Head and the city skyline were almost obscured yesterday by the vog, produced by pollutants from volcanoes.

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Oahu’s skies stuck
in a voggy daze

Forecasters think the volcanic
smog will depart tomorrow

Weather forecasters expect volcanic smog, or vog, to hang over Oahu skies for the next two days because of light winds.

Vog is produced when sulfur dioxide gas and other pollutants emitted from volcanoes react with oxygen and moisture.

National Weather Service officials said they do not have a way to measure the amount of vog in the skies but said it was enough yesterday to create a haze over Oahu.

"There's been some small restrictions in visibility ... but it's not anything that makes it so you can't see when you're driving," said NWS meteorologist Pete Donaldson. "There are some southeasterly winds, and it's a pretty good bet that some of the haze from the volcano drifted to Oahu."

According to American Lung Association officials, vog can be irritating to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs and can create a health hazard by aggravating pre-existing respiratory ailments.

But even with the vog-filled skies over Oahu yesterday, Honolulu Fire Department officials said they saw no spike in emergency calls for respiratory problems yesterday.

"We had 15 calls from midnight to 8 p.m. ... nothing out of the ordinary," said HFD spokesman Capt. Emmit Kane. "Nothing like New Year's Eve or July 4, when those calls are noticeable."

The weather service predicts the vog will stay until the tradewinds come back tomorrow. Until then, the American Lung Association has the following recommendations, especially for those with chronic breathing problems such as asthma, bronchitis or emphysema: