The Met Office is “monitoring” the cloud of sulphur dioxide gas moving across Britain following the volcanic eruption in Iceland on Thursday.
The gas cloud moved across the country early Sunday morning and has now moved towards the southeast.
The meteorologist said the particle was released high into the atmosphere by a volcano in Iceland and is likely to have “only a minor impact on air quality near the ground.”
Data from Czech weather portal Windy shows that a huge SO2 cloud completely covered the country at 4am and still covered half of the UK at 8.45am.
At 5:30 p.m. the cloud still covered parts of the Scottish Highlands, but most of it has now moved over other European countries such as Germany, France and Sweden.
SO2 is mainly produced by the combustion of coal or petroleum. But volcanoes also produce large amounts of it when they erupt.
Inhaling the gas can cause symptoms such as sore throat, cough, runny nose, burning eyes, tightness in the lungs and difficulty breathing.
The colorless gas has an irritating, pungent odor (known as the smell of a freshly lit match) and can also cause stinging pain, redness and blistering if it comes into contact with the skin.
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As of 5.30pm the cloud still covers parts of the Scottish Highlands
The majority of the cloud has now moved to other European countries such as Germany, France and Sweden.
The colorless gas swirled through Northern Europe and parts of Scandinavia this morning.
The gas cloud almost completely covered the UK at around 4am. Pictured is a windy weather map showing the gas cloud at around 1.30am.
The Met Office said that due to “low concentrations” of the compound, air pollution in the UK is expected to remain low.
A Met Office spokesman said: “A cloud of sulphur dioxide emanating from the volcano in Iceland is crossing the UK high in the atmosphere and will soon dissipate to the southeast.”
“The impact of this sulphur dioxide was small because it is high in the atmosphere and has little impact on air quality near the ground.”
“Low concentrations near the ground mean that air pollution remains low.”
“Air pollution levels are currently low and are expected to remain so across the UK today.”
“We continue to monitor all sulphur dioxide emissions from Iceland and current forecasts suggest there will be little impact on air pollution in the UK over the coming days.”
Aerial view of the lava flow during the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula near Grindavik on Thursday
Prof. Simon Carn of Michigan Technological University wrote on X: “Another load of #volcanic SO₂ is on its way to #UK / #Ireland caused by the recent #eruption on #Iceland’s #Reykjanes peninsula. May cause localized #airquality impacts in the coming days. @eddy_weather @ScottishEPA.”
Direct exposure to SO2 has been linked to asthma and chronic bronchitis, with the SO2 released from coal combustion during the London smog of 1952 playing a key role in the thousands of deaths from respiratory disease at that time.
In addition, SO2 can combine with water vapor in the Earth’s atmosphere to form acid rain, which can travel long distances.
Older people are particularly vulnerable to inhaling SO2 and the charity Asthma and Lung UK states that more asthmatics are admitted to hospital with asthma attacks when high levels of the gas are present.
In addition, young children may be more sensitive to the effects of SO2 due to their smaller size, a government document says.
In June, experts said a non-explosive rupture on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula may have caused an “unprecedented” rise in SO2 levels in Edinburgh, not seen since the 1970s.
Senior air pollution modeller at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Dr Massimo Vieno, said the damage to the environment was likely to be “minimal”, the BBC reported.
He said: “This was a highly unusual event that occurred over a very short period of time.”
“We basically had a big explosion in Iceland that coincided with just the right wind configuration to bring the plume from the Reykjanes peninsula to Scotland, and particularly to Edinburgh.
“It is a truly unique event.”
The dangerous smog clouds floated over from Iceland after a volcano erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula near Grindavik on Thursday.
Due to ongoing seismic activity in the region and pressure changes in boreholes, the eruption had been expected for several weeks.
Rescue teams were reportedly called to Reykjanes and Ölfus as thousands of people had to be evacuated from Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon.
Lava flows from the new fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula, near the town of Grindavik
Lava splashes and flows after the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula near Grindavik
Local authorities urged residents to stay away from the area for their own safety and that of emergency services.
MailOnline previously reported that Iceland has been hit by eight volcanic eruptions since 2021, causing citizens to flee their homes.
An international team of scientists examined lava samples and seismic data from eruptions over the past three years.
They found that the peninsula lies on an interconnected magma conduit system that could supply volcanoes with molten rock for decades to come.
Lead author Valentin Troll, professor of petrology at Uppsala University, says: “Comparing these eruptions with historical events provides strong evidence that Iceland needs to prepare and be prepared for this volcanic episode to continue for some time, possibly even years or decades.”
Over the past six months, thousands of Icelanders have been evacuated from their homes in the town of Grindavik and surrounding areas at several locations because they were located near the volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula.
Lava fountains pour overnight from the new eruption fissure in the Svartsengi volcanic system
Iceland lies directly above the so-called Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a boundary between the tectonic plates of Eurasia and North America.
When these plates drift apart, hot rock from the mantle, the Earth’s largest layer, can push to the surface.
This makes volcanic eruptions a fairly common part of life, occurring approximately once every three to five years.
