Sulfur dioxide cloud to hover over France until Tuesday

A weakly toxic cloud from an Icelandic volcano began to cross the French sky during the night from Saturday to Sunday. It is expected to remain in France until Tuesday, without posing any health risk.

The air outside may have started to sting your nose. A cloud of sulfur dioxide hovered over northern Europe and began to settle in the skies over France overnight Saturday, August 24, to Sunday, August 25. Fast weather and SouthwestIt comes from Iceland's Sundhnuksgigarod volcano, which erupted on Thursday.

Colorless, this gas has a more or less distinct sulfurous odor depending on its concentration. It can be dangerous in large quantities or during prolonged exposure.National Institute for Research and Security (INRS). It is emitted mainly from the combustion of oil and coal and can be produced in industrial sites or by volcanoes.

Until Tuesday in the southwest

The concentration of sulfur dioxide in the cloud produced by Sundhnuksgigarod is not sufficient to pose a health hazard, especially at ground level, but the cloud can cause minor respiratory discomfort and eye irritation.

The level of toxic gas in the air will gradually decrease as it passes over all of France between now and Monday evening. The regions of Brittany, Normandy and Hauts-de-France are those that saw the highest concentrations on Sunday morning.

On Tuesday, the cloud will persist only in a few areas of the southwest at the foot of the Pyrenees, with a much lower concentration in the air than in previous days.

Very rarely serious phenomena

Sulfur dioxide clouds from volcanic eruptions are relatively common phenomena, and France, for example, has already experienced Someone flew it in March.Already after the eruption of an Icelandic volcano.

For these clouds to become a problem, they must be very concentrated and/or occur at the same time as rain, which can become acidic by being loaded with sulfur dioxide. Despite everything, this rain generally does not pose a direct danger to humans, but it can have harmful effects on plants and animals.