Having gone home to Hawaii Island four times in the last several weeks, I got to experience vog and its effects in full force – far more than I would have wanted. Don’t know what vog is? Lucky you – it must mean you aren’t affected by it! As the title to this post says, it is volcanic smog. But I don’t think that does it justice; vog is far more irritating than smog. I know, I go to Los Angeles a lot and I can breathe just fine in the smog. Vog is worse; here’s what I have to put up with:
- Constant itching in the eyes and/or throat.
- A general sense of respiratory irritation.
- It feels like someone is sitting on my chest.
- A persistent hacking cough that doesn’t go away.
I’m not the only one affected by it, either. And for most of the time, I’ve been experiencing some symptoms while on Oahu, so it’s even worse when one is on the Big Island where the epicenter of the vog is right there. The Environmental Protection Agency investigated it and so did a House Special Committee on Vog Effects (LRB Library’s blog has more info).
But in these tough economic times, I doubt we will implement these measures. Just yesterday, we learned that Governor Lingle is proposing complete elimination of the Healthy Start program. So what are we to do?
Here’s how I’ve been coping, especially when I go home to Kona:
- Take Airborne, or Emergen-C, or Zip Fizz. I’m not sure it helps, but it can’t hurt, right?
- Use Puffs Plus with the Scent of Vicks facial tissues. It has a soothing effect and the soft tissue is nice when I’m using it so frequently.
So what about you? Are you even affected? If you aren’t, count your blessings. If you are, how have you been coping? I could use some tips…
Mahalo!
[...] http://capsun.org/2008/12/24/vog-volcanic-smog/ [...]