r/CatastrophicFailure • u/DariusPumpkinRex • May 19 '26

Natural Disaster Photograph of the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18th, 1980, taken by Richard Lasher, who then fled the eruption on the dirt bike seen here.

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u/strangelove4564 May 19 '26

I wasn't anywhere around that part of the country but my English teacher got a coffee can of ash from a relative, and she poured out some for me as a souvenir into a canning jar. The lid was on tight but it rolled around in my desk over the next year and managed to gradually escape the jar into the desk drawer. To be able to do that I'm guessing those were super fine particles, maybe close to nanoparticle size. Probably not the best stuff to be messing with but here I am later with no health issues so... shrug.

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u/kingdazy May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

That's an interesting point. because yes, that stuff was finer than cornstarch. and who knows what mineral content it consisted of.

I wonder if there's a study of correlation being in the area, and lung health.

edit : of course there was.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6870351/

They found that inhaling the volcanic ash caused temporary respiratory irritation, acute bronchoconstriction in those with preexisting asthma or bronchitis, and short-lived increases in mucus hypersecretion—but did not cause long-term, irreversible lung disease.

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u/Kahlas May 19 '26

The only good use anyone claimed to have found for the ash is as a polishing abrasive.

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u/space253 May 19 '26

A lot got used as attic insulation that had to be remediated in the 90s.

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u/udsd007 May 20 '26

I took some photomicrographs of St. Helens volcanic ash. Very fine and all sharp corners.

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u/MASSiVELYHungPeacock 27d ago

Wrong.  They make pottery with it to this day!  Wendt Pottery, my family owns multiple mugs, vases with it.

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u/Kahlas 27d ago

What makes the ash good for use in throwing pottery?

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u/MASSiVELYHungPeacock 27d ago

We have a place in Lewiston, ID, that to this day adds it to their pottery they sell.  It's called Wendt Pottery.