RDHETA 90-200-2158 NIOSH INVESTIGATORS:

Department. The health department requested assistance in characterizing air contaminants formed when lava flow from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano vaporizes sea water. The potential for both public and occupational exposures to the lava and sea water emissions (LAZE) created health concerns. On March 13-19, 1990, NIOSH investigators conducted an environmental survey to characterize air contaminants formed by the lava and sea water. Air samples were collected for respirable dust, respirable crystalline silica and other mineral compounds, fibers, trace metals, acids, and organic and inorganic gases. Difficult terrain, active lava flows, and varying wind patterns influenced sampling activities. Air samples were collected during four days of sampling; samples were collected within visible plumes of LAZE on March 13, 14, and 18, 1990. This LAZE contained quantifiable concentrations of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and hydrofluoric acid (HF); HCl was predominate. HCl and HF concentrations were highest in dense plumes of LAZE within approximately 12 yards of the sea. The HCl concentrations at this sampling location averaged 7.1 parts per million parts air (ppm) exceeding the occupational exposure criteria of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), th