The time period “ash” is technically incorrect for what the volcano is expelling, Pedro Cabrera, the president of the Medical College of Las Palmas, told El Pais. “It should be called volcanic sand, given that seen through a microscope it does not look like what is left after the incineration of a human body or a cigarette.”

Each particle, which is smaller than 10 microns throughout, has sharp edges that make it extremely harmful to inhale. Inhalation might set off irritation and persistent sickness like bronchial asthma, placing even otherwise-healthy individuals in danger for cardiac issues or severe respiratory sickness. Carbon dioxide and different gases emitted from the volcano can even irritate the respiratory system.