Residents walk in a cloud of ash as Taal Volcano continues to spew ash on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, in Tagaytay, Cavite province, south of Manila, Philippines. Red-hot lava gushed out of the Philippine volcano Monday after a sudden eruption of ash and steam that forced villagers to flee en masse and shut down Manila鈥檚 international airport, offices, and schools. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Monday warned the public against the danger of inhaling fine volcanic particles caused by Taal鈥檚 phreatic eruption.
At a press conference on the latest about Taal Volcano鈥檚 activities, DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said smaller volcanic particles not seen by the naked eye goes straight to our bloodstream once inhaled.
鈥淗indi porke鈥檛 clear visual na sa kalye o wala nang smog eh malinis na,鈥� Antiporda stressed. 鈥淢alalaman lang na pumasok sa katawan kapag sinumpong na lalo na 鈥榶ung may mga respiratory problems tulad ng hika.鈥�
(Just because the road has clear visual or doesn鈥檛 have smog means it鈥檚 already clean. It would only be known if the fine particles have already entered the body when symptoms already kicked in like for those who have respiratory problems like asthma.)
Antiporda specifically cited fine particulate matter (PM) 2.5., an air pollutant he called 鈥渁likabok鈥� (dust) in layman鈥檚 terms, that is invisible to the naked eye. He then differentiated PM 2.5 from PM10, which is larger and more visible.
According to him, while some areas that have experienced rain now have better air quality because the volcanic particles or ash from Taal have already fallen to the ground problems could still arise.
鈥淢aaaring umakyat ulit ito at malanghap ng tao,鈥� he said. 鈥淚-expect natin na magiging worse ang situation when it comes to the ash na 鈥榶an dahil 鈥榩ag natuyo 鈥榶an at dinaanan ng sasakyan o mabugahan ng hangin, babalik 鈥榶an sa air.鈥�
(It could rise up again and be inhaled by people. Let鈥檚 expect that the situation could get worse when it comes to that ash because when that dries up and a vehicle passes through it or wind blows it, it will go back to the air.)
So, he advised the public to continue monitoring updates on Taal鈥檚 eruption and take precautionary measures.
鈥淲e still need to be careful at gamitin ang (use the) recommended face mask para masiguro ang kaligtasan (to ensure safety),鈥� he said.