The vog from the Big Island's Kilauea Volcano has been so bad on some days that you can barely see the Ko'olau a mile away from their base — and it's getting to be scary stuff for some local residents.

I lived in Hilo for many years and seldom saw sustained volcanic haze so thick from my home less than 30 miles from the vent.

If it's soupy on O'ahu, I can imagine what bad days are like on the Big Island when kona winds hold the vog over populated areas in Hilo, Puna and Ka'u instead of blowing it out to sea.

The volcanic fumes have caused short-term evacuations of the national park and nearby subdivisions, and the longer it lasts the more potential to affect public health, agriculture and tourism.

We're in a phase of more explosive eruptive activity that Kilauea geologists haven't seen before. The 25-year-old Pu'u 'O'o eruption is spewing some 2,000 tons of sulphur dioxide a day into the air, and the new fissure in Halema'uma'u now doubles that on some days.

Scientists don't know how much worse it could get or whether it will last weeks, years or decades.

"We haven't seen the full range of activity for Kilauea, and it may be uncomfortable, and it may be uncomfortable for quite a while," said Don Thomas of the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo.

Some residents shrug it off as a fact of life on a chain of volcanic islands, while others have deep concerns about the potentially broad impact on our health, environment and economy.

The tourism industry, already hammered by fuel costs, airline woes and a down economy, doesn't like talk about another potential damper of the visitor count, but other segments of the economy, such as farmers who are losing crops, want answers.

So does the state House, which set up a special committee to study the effects of vog led by Big Island Rep. Bob Herkes, who says, "What is occurring is a natural disaster, but unlike a tsunami, hurricane, twister or major earthquake, it is not viewed as one."

His panel hopes to help residents monitor pollutants, take health precautions, protect their water, crops and animals — and plan their relocation if it becomes necessary.

"I'm trying not to be alarmist, but at what point do you tell people that we're getting to high enough levels that they need to move?" Herkes told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. "We've moved people out of the tsunami inundation zone. If this goes on for decades, we may have to look at this as a long-term policy."

It makes sense to assess all possibilities and be prepared to deal with the worst, but if Herkes and others really don't want to be alarmist, they need to start by toning down the politics.

Herkes launched his inquiry by writing a loaded letter to Gov. Linda Lingle asking for a plan to help Big Island residents deal with vog and accusing her administration of being "ineffective in providing up-to-date information or any meaningful assistance."

That drew a testy retort from Big Island Mayor Harry Kim, who said the county is addressing all of Herkes' concerns, and that the questions should have been addressed to him instead of the state.

The House responded by appointing the special committee to take matters into its own hands.

If there's any chance the volcanic troubles could become as far-reaching as some fear, our leaders need to set aside their usual small-time squabbling for once and work together in common cause.

David Shapiro, a veteran Hawai'i journalist, can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net. His columns are archived at www.volcanicash.net. Read his daily blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.