St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago W.I. – January 19th, 2015 – Stakeholders from Saint Lucia’s health and environmental sectors have been invited to two workshops being held in Castries and Soufrière, to discuss the preliminary findings of the volcanic gas network established to monitor potentially harmful volcanic gases in Sulphur Springs, Saint Lucia.

Preliminary results indicate that during the dry season months, sites closest to the main venting area at Sulphur Springs experienced elevated atmospheric sulphur dioxide concentrations. While this does not limit use of the Park, it may potentially be a health concern to sensitive groups, particularly people with heart or respiratory problems, infants and young children, and pregnant women, who are encouraged to take the necessary precautionary measures during their visit. During the rainy season, atmospheric sulphur dioxide concentrations are within acceptable WHO Air Quality Guidelines for short term exposure at the Park.

Led by The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC), the project was launched in March 2014, with the primary objective being to gain a better understanding of volcanic emissions or gases at the Sulphur Springs and the potential impact on environmental and human health.

The project aimed to measure the ambient concentrations of sulphur dioxide at the Sulphur Springs Park and in the town of Soufrière, in response to concerns raised by both visitors and residents regarding the possible health effects of the volcanic gases. One of the gas monitoring methods used was a low-cost, low-technology sampler developed in collaboration with the UWI Department of Chemistry in St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. Staff of the Soufrière Regional Development Foundation (SRDF) was trained in the use of the low-cost samplers as part of the project’s attempt to foster community participation in scientific research being conducted in the area. The success of this novel volcanic gas monitoring project in Saint Lucia has laid the foundation for a programme of community engagement in emissions monitoring and health hazard management that could be adopted in the other volcanic islands of the Lesser Antilles.

One of the outcomes of the project is the preparation of public awareness materials (brochure and poster) that can be used by local stakeholders to provide volcanic gas hazard awareness information to the public. “The role of volcano tourism is recognized as an important contributor to the economy of volcanic islands in the Lesser Antilles. However, if it is to be promoted as a sustainable sector of the tourism industry, visitors, tour operators, and vendors must be provided with information about potential volcanic hazards to which they may be exposed in volcanic environments,” said Dr. Erouscilla Joseph, Volcanologist at the UWI-SRC and Principal Investigator on the project. Recent studies have shown that providing them with this increased knowledge will allow for a more accurate perception of risk and consequently lower risk-taking attitudes and decrease the probability of ignoring potentially hazardous situations.

The project was funded by The UWI Trinidad and Tobago Research and Development Impact Fund (RDI) and project partners included The Department of Chemistry (UWI St. Augustine), The Soufrière Regional Development Foundation, the National Emergency Management Organisation (St. Lucia) and the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.

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