Blog

Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2)

July 15, 2008, 03:01:40 PM by Kerry

Here are two links that graphically depict the VOG (SO2) and it's direction.
(Both links work as of 7/28/21 — K.K.)

http://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/OMI/OMISO2/hawaii.html  Updated daily by NOAA satelite.

Hawai'i (Big Isle) Short Term SO2 Alert Index Updated hourly throughout the day.


Email reply from Gilberto Vicente, NOAA - OMISO2: responding to my email reporting that the NOAA satellite had not been displaying for several days in row.

Hi Kerry,

The OMI is in a polar orbit, and only viewed the same place on Earth once a day, during day light time.

The current image in the NOAA web site shows the last swath over Hawaii on July 9, year 08, Julian date 191 and UTC time 20:54. This actual pass over Hawaii happens a little later because this is the time of the first scan line of that swath.

It is + or - 1 hour around that time because the Aura satellite (the one that houses the OMI instrument) precesses each day. Look at the different times in "current", and "previous" images.

Gilberto

UPDATE 3/17/09

Kerry,

Please update your link to

http://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/OMI/OMISO2/index.html

Gilberto

Kerry wrote:
Hi Gilbert,

I assume you folks know that our NOAA satellite report has not been displaying lately, for more than a week.

I use http://gp16.ssd.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/OMI/OMISO2/hawaii.html#End daily to determine if the SO2 is going to be blowing in my direction.

It's been stuck just displaying a small map with no data. I believe the problem began 3/3/09 when it kept displaying the same report for a few days in a row.

With aloha,

Kerry

--
Gilberto A. Vicente - Ph.D. - Physical Scientist
NOAA/NESDIS/OSDPD/SSD - Product Implementation Branch
E/SP2, NOAA Science Center, Room 510
5200 Auth Road, Camp Springs, MD 20746, USA
Phone: 301-763-8142 x 160, Fax: 301-899-9196, Gilberto.Vicente@noaa.gov



Bookmark this page.

Kerry

PS. Post a reply here for information/advice about residential air purifiers w/HEPA and charcoal filters.

Re: Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2) (Reply 1)

September 16, 2008, 12:42:58 PM by Kerry

Big Island residents fear for their health, their pets and farm animals, their water systems, their farm crops, and businesses. Yet, the various state agencies are ineffective in providing up-to-date information or any meaningful assistance. Here are the main areas in which residents need help. The Department of Health has issued a color code of various levels of SO2, but the community is unaware of where these monitoring stations are located in proximity to their homes.When SO2 reaches a dangerous level. Many rural areas of the Big Island are without cell phone coverage.
-------------------
RENITA

Also, the link to the , NOAA - OMISO2, satellite (see Kerry's post this thread) takes a pic once every 24 hours. If you view the map at say 8:00 pm it most likely won't be accurate for when you get up in the morning. It's pretty much worthless. Here in Hawaiian Beaches the way I become aware of trade winds blowing VOG in our direction is when I start to cough.

KHON TV sometimes reports about the VOG report but because it's not regular it's worthless to us here in Puna. They only report about Kona and Hilo.

Kerry

Re: Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2) (Reply 2)

March 17, 2009, 01:19:34 AM by Kerry

Update:

I emailed the following on 3/10/09

To: Office of the Director of Health, Chiyome Fukino, MD
Cc: Communications Director, Janice S. Okubo
Cc: Disability and Communication Access Board, Francine Wai
Cc: Office of Environmental Quality Control, Katherine Puana Kealoha, Esq.

Subject: Request for SO2 Detector Calibration support service for senior citizens

Aloha,

I’m a 71-yr-old 50% disabled vet on a fixed income. I've owned my home here in Pahoa (Big Isle) for 20 years. I’m writing to ask for your help.

As you know the Halemaumau vent is spewing VOG containing SO2 which comes to Pahoa's Hawaiian Beaches community when the trades aren’t blowing (several days each month). I’m able to seal up the house and turn on my portable HEPA w/charcoal air filter if I get enough warning. I check both the Air Now report http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.showmap&pollutant=PM2.5&domain=hi&map=current_hour and the NOAA Satellite Information Service http://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/OMI/OMISO2/hawaii.html daily. The NOAA satellite passes over Hawaii once a day but there are several variables that cause its report to not be reliable. If the wind direction changes at night when I’m sleeping then it’s too late and my asthmatic condition is exacerbated for several days. Selling the house and moving to a VOG free area is not economically feasible.

I’m looking at buying a BW GasAlert Extreme Sulfur Dioxide SO2 Detector ($395.00).  SO2 detectors sound an alarm in the presence of SO2; but, I discovered that SO2 detectors require costly periodic recalibration.

   

• For example: The Honeywell SO2 Calibration gas - Sulfur Dioxide 10ppm (58L) kit costs $485.00 plus expensive HAZMAT shipping to Hawaii. Typically, detector companies charge $75 to return a detector for recalibration every few months, this means one is without a detector for several weeks. One can also buy a disposable detector every two years for $265.00.

I’m thinking it would be an appropriate health service if the Department of Health provided Sulfur Dioxide gas (SO2) for SO2 detector calibration, at least for fixed income senior citizens for whom the operating expenses of a SO2 detector are prohibitive. We could bring in our detectors to the Hilo office of the DOH.

I'm hoping this request can be put on the fast track; for us older folks each day breathing SO2 laden VOG is both unhealthy and miserable.

With aloha,

Kerry

Re: Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2) (Reply 3)

March 17, 2009, 05:27:24 AM by Kerry

Calibration Info:

Hi Kerry

The short answer is “no”… at least not as far as reliable instrumentation goes.

The type of gas monitors we supply are very highly precise instrumentation, typically used by researchers, governments, and industry. It requires daily calibration, and comes with a significant capital cost.

Unless  I am mistaken, I don’t think this is what you are looking for

Sorry I don’t know of any low cost SO2 monitor on the market that offers a reasonable degree of reliability in terms of ambient gas levels. There are hand held units available but these are still fairly costly and their precision is not very good.

Note: our company recently installed very precise scientific grade SO2 (and other) monitors) in Hawaii so you might want to contact your local government to see if they have data (actually, their data should be available to the general public online, via the Hawaii Dept of Health).

Sorry that I can’t be of more assistance.

Andy Tolley

Business Manager

American Ecotech LLC

Tel: 401-247-0100 (office)

Tel: 401-369-0844 (cell)

Email: atolley@AmericanEcotech.com

http://www.AmericanEcotech.com

 
Kerry wrote:

From: <kking@hawaii.rr.com>
Date: 18/03/2009 08:56 AM
To: serinus.enquiry@ecotech.com.au
Subject: SO2 detector/analyzer that doesn't require recalibration?

Hi,

Retiree in Hawaii's VOG (SO2) area.

Is there a SO2 detector that does not require periodic recalibration?

The disposable ones (after two years) would be too expensive.

Thanks,

Kerry

Re: Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2) (Reply 4)

April 09, 2009, 01:47:03 PM by Kerry

Here's the reply from the Director of the Department of Health (rec'd 4/9/09)

Re: Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2) (Reply 5)

April 27, 2009, 01:31:35 AM by Kerry

I bought a Honeywell 50250 Permanent True HEPA Air Purifier w/charcoal prefilter (about $156.00) at Home Depot. I've been using it for about 6 months. Fan specs: http://www.kaz.com/kaz/store/product/7f1169d626a00b7fe58467e101e1dd68/.

I can verify that the fan removes enough VOG to make it very noticeable and worth the cost or running the filter 24/7 for the few days that the VOG visits Hawaiian Beaches.

I keep the fan under the computer desk so it serves also as a cooling fan on non VOG days. Even on low speed the fan is as noisy as a window air conditioner.

Noticeable meaning: When I start to cough and my eyes start to get irritated I know it's time to turn on the filter. I button down my 3 bedroom, 2 bath (1056 sq ft) house, closing the all the doors and windows. I keep the filter in my living room (combination office and living room). It weighs approx as much as a sewing machine and has a carrying handle on the top.  At night, with all other doors kept closed, the filter will slowly recirculate the filtered air into my bedroom at the end of the hall. On warm days I also turn on the window AC. I cut a piece of the carbon prefilter (about 1/8 thick) to fit in front of the AC's own plastic washable filter.* I keep the AC on recirculate so that it's not grabbing air from outside.

The charcoal prefilter (about $10.00 at Home Depot) is supposed to last 3-4 months. I looked at it after 3 months and although it looked quite clean I replaced it. I washed and keep the old one for emergencies.  The Honeywell has a LED light that's comes on when the fan experiences too much resistance trying to push/pull air through the HEPA filter. This means it's time to vacuum the HEPA filter and replace the charcoal filter.

When the fan is running I drink more water and keep dampening a face cloth in the sink to help humidify the air.

Kerry

* I cut a square of the prefilter for my Scion xB's AC filter. I could tell it worked because it filtered out much of the fragrance of the Cinnamon bark oil  (I regularly place a few drops on the carpet).

Re: Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2) (Reply 6)

May 12, 2009, 06:27:25 PM by Sani

Can you show Honeywell 50250 Permanent True HEPA Air Purifier w/charcoal prefilter that you buy? can you post some pictures?


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Re: Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2) (Reply 7)

May 12, 2009, 09:06:15 PM by Kerry

Hi Luck768,

Re: "can you post some pictures?" See Fan specs: http://www.kaz.com/kaz/store/product/7f1169d626a00b7fe58467e101e1dd68/.

Kerry

Re: Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2) (Reply 8)

June 04, 2009, 12:56:26 PM by Sani

It can posses that if they  verify that the fan removes enough VOG to make it very noticeable and worth the cost or running the filter 24/7.


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Furnace Filter

Re: Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2) (Reply 9)

June 04, 2009, 01:42:28 PM by Kerry

Hi keincarlos18,

I can verify that the Honeywell filter I mention does make the air breathable with the house completely sealed up. Recently I ran it for 6 days in a row, 24 hrs per day, and when I'd go outside to take my shower I'd start coughing. The coughing verified the satellite printout showing the VOG blowing in the Pahoa direction with my area being mostly in the red.

I'm not certain whether the carbon pre-filter provides a chemical attraction of the SO2 but I do know that it helps keep the washable HEPA filter cleaner for longer. The fan has an amber light that lights up when the filter is getting clogged. I changed the carbon filter after having it for 4 months and it wasn't that dirty. At the same time I vacuumed the HEPA filter which wasn't dirty at all. I kept the carbon filter in case I find out that I can wash those also. I also cut a piece of the carbon filter to place in my window AC and another in my car's AC filter.

I keep the Honeywell under my PC desk and use it regularly as a cooling fan instead of my old oscillating fan. It is not a quiet fan.

It's going to be interesting to see my electric bill this month because I decided to run the fan and the AC (often both at the same time) when I wanted rather than worry about the cost.

Kerry

Re: Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2) (Reply 10)

June 22, 2009, 07:17:59 AM by Sani

Does anyone know where I can find a light called Wellnesslight kids?  I got a box from my sister on Oahu.  It made a HUGE difference with my kids.  I wanted to get more but the store she bought it in said it was back ordered.  If anyone knows please email me. Mahalo!

- Sani

rs8581@gmail.com