Deadly 'laze' is rising in enormous plumes around Hawaii — here's how it forms and what it looks like

laze hi volcano
People take photos on a tour boat as steam plumes rise where lava enters the Pacific Ocean, on May 20, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano isn't just spewing lava into the air anymore. That lava is flowing into the water, leading to a dangerous concoction called laze. 

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Laze — a combination of the words lava and haze — is the product of a chemical reaction that happens when molten, 2,140-degree-Fahrenheit lava hits the ocean. The sea water gets boiled, creating a messy mix of hydrochloric acid, steam, and tiny glass particles.

The noxious plumes of laze are extremely dangerous for people to breathe. Hawaii's civil defense is sounding the alarm to residents, warning that laze can cause lung damage, eye and skin irritation, and even death in serious cases.

Take a look at how it forms and why it's so hazardous:

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Lava began dripping into the water around Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday and Sunday.

this is laze
Lava entering the Pacific Ocean creates a dense white plume called 'laze' during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii on May 20, 2018. USGS/Handout via REUTERS

The laze started rising around the same time that the Kilauea volcano eruption claimed its first serious injury: a man sitting on his third-floor porch got lava-bombed and was hospitalized with a shattered leg. 

 

 

 

Laze is created when ocean water comes into contact with volcanic heat. The water evaporates, which leads magnesium salts to form and mix with the steam.

kilauea laze
Steam plumes rise as lava enters the Pacific Ocean. Laze, a word combination of lava and haze, contains hydrogen chloride, steam, and volcanic glass particles. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

"Seawater must be boiled almost completely dry before magnesium salts form," according to the USGS.

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When the salts come in contact with the steam, together they create dangerously corrosive hydrogen chloride. It can be deadly when inhaled in high doses.

laze volcano hawaii
Hot lava entering the Pacific Ocean creates a dense white plume of 'laze' southeast of Pahoa during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, May 20, 2018. USGS/Handout via REUTERS

Hydrogen chloride can create a fluid buildup in the lungs, called pulmonary edema, which can cause serious chest pain, coughing, and fatigue. Even sniffing a little bit of the gas can irritate your eyes and skin, and make it hard to breathe, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

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Laze killed two people in Hawaii in 2000.

what is laze kilauea volcano hawaii
Steam plumes rise as lava enters the Pacific Ocean after flowing from a Kilauea volcano fissure on Hawaii's Big Island on May 21, 2018. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The medical examiner concluded that the deadly burns on the 42- and 43-year-old victims were consistent with those from a hot gas or vapor. 

Their final cause of death was listed as pulmonary edema, caused by inhaling air from a plume of volcanic laze near the shore. 

Source: Wilderness & Environmental Medicine

 

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The heat from lava can boil fish alive in the water and leave them floating on the surface. That sometimes makes a convenient snack for seabirds.

laze kilauea
Steam and volcanic gases rise as lava enters the Pacific Ocean on May 20, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Source: USGS

Laze also includes tiny volcanic glass shards, and the steamy, acidic combination rides away on the wind. USGS geologist Janet Babb warned that laze plumes from the Kilauea eruption could extend as far as 15 miles.

what is laze hawaii
Lava erupts and flows from a Kilauea volcano fissure towards the Pacific Ocean on Hawaii's Big Island on May 21, 2018. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Source: Reuters

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The USGS says there are other spots around the globe where volcanic lava oozes into the water, including Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, Montagu Island in the South Atlantic, and Stromboli volcano off the coast of Sicily.

laze volcano
A steam plume rises as lava enters the Pacific Ocean near Pahoa, Hawaii on May 20, 2018. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Source: USGS

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