![Sample our Physical Sciences journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110819/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Physical-Sciences.jpg"})
Abstract
Mount Sakurajima in the south of the Kyushu Island of Japan erupts hundreds of times a year and continuously emits large amounts of ash. More than a million people live under this ash plume, and there is considerable concern about the possible effects of this on their health. We have studied the physicochemical characteristics and in vitro effects of airborne ash collected at 8 km from the crater.
More than 30% of the ash was found to be SiO 2 (w/w) with most of the particles within the respirable size range. The ash did not inhibit the colony formation of V79–4 cells and failed to activate complement or generate chemotactic factor activity in sampies of fresh human serum. It was minimally active in causing the release of lysosomal enzymes from human neutrophile, and did not cause arachidonic acid release from macrophage‐like cells. These results were in accord with our epidemiological study, in which very low prevalences of nonspecific respiratory diseases were demonstrated even at the area with highest ash exposure.
