Volcanic Ash Covering La Palma, Canary Islands

The term “ash” is technically incorrect for what the volcano is expelling, Pedro Cabrera, the president of the Medical College of Las Palmas, told El Pais. “It should be called volcanic sand, given that seen through a microscope it does not look like what is left after the incineration of a human body or a cigarette.”

Each particle, which is smaller than 10 microns across, has sharp edges that make it incredibly dangerous to inhale. Inhalation could trigger inflammation and chronic illness like asthma, putting even otherwise-healthy people at risk for cardiac problems or serious respiratory illness. Carbon dioxide and other gases emitted from the volcano can also irritate the respiratory system.