Toxic gases and ash released during the eruption of an Icelandic volcano pose no health threat to Europeans and will only have short-term effects on weather and precipitation, a Russian scientist said.
Arkady Tishkov, deputy research chief at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences said that toxic volcanic gases released during volcano eruptions can affect only the immediate surrounding regions.
"There is no chance of any health impact... Gases are, naturally, toxic, but they quickly dissipate in the atmosphere. In some instances they may cause acid rain, but I think that may have already happened over the ocean," he said.
The eruption of the volcano on the Eyjafjallajokull Glacier in Iceland, which began on Wednesday, has already paralyzed air traffic in Britain, France, Germany, Belgium and the majority of Nordic countries.
The Russian scientist said that the eruption will not cause any long-term climate change as it was "far from being the most powerful," and the ash cloud was released into relatively low atmospheric layers. If not for the cancellation of flights, he said, Europeans would hardly take notice of the event.
"The Europeans are suffering a kind of psychosis because of all these events. I think no apocalyptic forecasts should be made... This [eruption] is an absolutely routine event," he said.
MOSCOW, April 16 (RIA Novosti)
