A new study says residents living downwind of vog associated with erupting Kilauea volcano are more likely to develop acute bronchitis than those who live elsewhere on the Big Island.

The study conducted by two University of Nevada at Reno researchers used medical records to track the occurrence of the respiratory problem from 2004 to 2006.

Researchers Bernadette Longo and Wei Yang didn't consider this year's activity, which saw Kilauea emitting more than double the amount of sulfur dioxide it had been spewing before.

Vog, or volcanic smog, is a white haze created when sulfur dioxide emitted from the volcano reacts with sunlight, oxygen, dust particles and water in the air.

The study was published in the November issue of the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health.

RESCUED SEAL PUP READY FOR RELEASE

A Hawaiian monk seal pup found abandoned in May when it was just a day old will be released into the wild today, Marine Corps Base Hawai'i said in a news release.

The pup known as KP2 was in critical care for a few months after it was found on a Kaua'i beach. It gained weight and stabilized under the supervision of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at its Kewalo research facility.

KP2 has spent the past few months in a shore pen at Marine Corps Base Hawai'i learning to survive in the wild.

Now the pup is ready for freedom, and NOAA, Marine Corps Base Hawai'i and the U.S. Coast Guard will team up to airlift it to an undisclosed location for release.