SMOG — a gray cloud of atmospheric pollutants from vehicle emissions — blanketed most of Metro Manila and neighboring communities on Friday, forcing the suspension of classes and prompting authorities to advise the wearing of face masks outdoors.

There were initial concerns that the heavy haze was vog — sulfur oxide-laden dust from the restive Taal Volcano in Batangas — but the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said it was not so.

Even before the Phivolcs made the clarification, the cities of Manila, Marikina, Valenzuela, Mandaluyong, Quezon, Pasay, Las Piñas and San Juan had already called off classes, and some government offices had sent home their workers.

Some of the cities even urged residents to stay indoors or wear face masks when they had to venture outside.

Later in the day, Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum said in an interview that the haze that had settled over the National Capital Region, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and some areas in Central Luzon was smog and not vog.

Bacolcol said exposure to vog can cause irritation of the eyes, throat and respiratory tract.

"People who may be particularly sensitive to vog are those with health conditions such as asthma, lung disease and heart disease, the elderly, pregnant women and children," he said.

Also on Friday, the Supreme Court announced that several courts in Batangas and Cavite have been suspended because of the vog.

Classes in Batangas and Cavite are also suspended.

The Department of Health's (DoH) Center for Health Development in Calabarzon declared a Code White alert from September 21 to 24 to handle emergencies related to Taal Volcano's gas emissions.

DoH Calabarzon Regional Director Ariel Valencia said that the "vog should not be taken lightly as sulfur dioxide poses a serious threat to human health that can cause eye irritation, throat and respiratory diseases, which can aggravate pre-existing respiratory ailments depending on the concentration or duration of inhalation, and acid rain damages crops that can lead to household water supplies."

On Friday, the DoH said it received reports that some students in Batangas were brought to a Rural Health Unit (RHU) after they collapsed and experienced difficulty breathing and chest pains.

"We are still collecting reports from the local health department regarding the total affected," Valencia said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Thursday it expects the Taal vog to linger over the region for some time.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Arlie O. Calalo, Francis Earl Cueto, Claire Bernadette Mondares and Aric John Sy Cua

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