Hello Daniel - Best of luck to you and your teammates! Q: When a volcano first erupts, how do you know if it will contain crystalline silica? A: Although you might be able to make a reasonable guess based on the composition of previously erupted products from that volcano, there's no way to know ahead of time for most volcanoes. The larger message is that volcanic ash is hazardous (it's small, abrasive, and slightly corrosive), with and without free crystalline silica. We're not aware of any cases of silicosis due to free crystalline silica in volcanic ash in recent eruptions, but more studies need to be done. Q:Is there a way a non-scientist can tell “dangerous” ash from “non-dangerous” ash? A: I'm not sure what "non-dangerous" ash is, unless it's completely removed from suspension (as in, fell to the ground/washed out of the air via rain or snow, and isn't resuspended by wind or vehicles). Q:About how long after a volcano erupts should children wear dust masks and goggles? A:I would think it depended on how much ash was in the air, and the location/activity of the children. It's probably more effective and easier to keep children indoors (assuming that the building has been sealed to ash as much as possible) than to send them outside with dust masks. Dust masks are often quite uncomfortable to wear for any prolonged period of time. The list of recommended activities on this page might be helpful to you: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/todo.html , as well as the "mitigation measures" on this page: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/health/index.html . Q:Why can’t you find many dust masks for children online? A:I really don't know. I suspect no one manufactures them, probably because their primary market is adults in construction or manufacturing work. Q:If we designed a dust mask for children, what would be one of the most important things we should include on the mask? Should it be a certain material? A:I'm really not an expert on dust mask construction. The IVHHN has a pdf (http://www.ivhhn.org/mwg-internal/de5fs23hu73ds/progress?id=feWPFVC7CR ) on recommended dust maks. It'd probably be easiest to retrofit a recommended mask to fit a child. Many schoolchildren can wear a regular adult-sized mask. Covering your nose and mouth with fabric is better than nothing at all (unless it encouraged people to be outside in the ash more!). Children are often resistant to wearing protective equipment - cartoon characters or other "kid-friendly" details might help. Q:Are swim goggles a good solution to protect your eyes? A:They'd probably do fine, although a ski mask might be more comfortable. Good luck with your endeavors! -cheryl -------- Daniel Chappell wrote: Hello, I am a member of a First Lego League team in Astoria, New York City, USA. First Lego League is a robotics program for kids designed to get them excited about science and technology while also teaching valuable life skills in the process. (link to FLL: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/mission/support) Our team is home based. We are a team of five nine year olds. The name of our team is Sonic Gears. This yearâ��s FLL challenge is Natureâ��s Fury. Although we live in NYC and have no volcanoes nearby, we were very excited to choose volcanoes as our challenge topic. We must conduct research, identify a real life problem associated with volcanic eruptions and come up with an innovative solution to it. I have been reading the IVHHN website in addition to other books and websites. Members of my team have done the same. We decided to focus on Volcanic Ash and the effects on Health, particularly on how ash affects children. The IVHNN website has been a wonderful source of information. We have a few questions we were hoping you could help with: - When a volcano first erupts, how do you know if it will contain crystalline silica? - Is there a way a non-scientist can tell â��dangerousâ�� ash from â��non-dangerousâ�� ash? - About how long after a volcano erupts should children wear dust masks and goggles? - Why canâ��t you find many dust masks for children online? - If we designed a dust mask for children, what would be one of the most important things we should include on the mask? Should it be a certain material? - Are swim goggles a good solution to protect your eyes? I am sending this from my Coachâ��s email address (they are also my parents). Thank you for any information you have. Sincerely, Daniel Chappell -- Cheryl Cameron Geologist, Alaska Volcano Observatory Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys voice: 907-451-5012 fax: 907-451-5050