The cloud of ash that covered much of Europe has no health effects, except for people living near the volcano in Iceland.

This was stated today at the World Health Organization (WHO). "Only in the vicinity of the volcano should you take precautions such as wearing masks and goggles," said the specialist in environmental epidemiology and the WHO, Carlos Dora. "In the rest of Europe, the contamination has not reached the earth's surface.

There is a very good network for monitoring air quality in European cities and so far, the range of variation of air quality has moved within normal parameters, "say the experts.Adding that it is likely that the ash cloud could disperse in the atmosphere but not reach the level of insulated flooring where the clouds descend to the surface, he stressed, that there could only be a small health risk if the contamination increases to two or three times the normal level. In that case, WHO would issue recommendations for people with respiratory problems.