ISIS's poison gas cloud: Deadly sulphur plume caused by ISIS jihadis setting fire to oil fields covers nearly a QUARTER of Iraq

  • ISIS terrorists set fire to a sulphur plant sending toxic gas across Iraq 
  • Hundreds suffocated in the fire which saw hospitals overwhelmed
  • Now a satellite map has shown the sulphur cloud spreading for miles   
  • Scientist Simon Carn said it was the equivalent to large volcanic eruption 

By Chris Summers For Mailonline

Published: 13:12 EST, 27 October 2016 | Updated: 14:43 EST, 27 October 2016

A fire at a sulphur plant near Mosul by ISIS fighters has sent a poisonous gas cloud for miles across northern Iraq and into neighbouring countries.

The jihadis set fire to the al-Mishraq sulphur plant last week, creating a toxic cloud which overwhelmed many people who inhaled the gas.

Hospitals in Mosul were overwhelmed as casualties, among them children and pregnant women, reported breathing problems. 

This NASA satellite image shows the plume of sulphur dioxide rising and blowing to the south

Now a satellite image from NASA has shown the spread of the sulphur cloud - covering around a quarter of Iraq and spreading into Turkey, Syria and Iran.

Simon Carn, an atmospheric scientist at Michigan Tech, told ABC News: 'In the first few days, the fire did not appear to be particularly energetic and our preliminary observations suggest that much of the sulphur dioxide remained in the boundary layer and the lower troposphere, which accentuates the impact on air quality and health.

But he added: 'More recently, sulphur dioxide has been lofted to higher altitudes where it may undergo long-range transport.' 

The US-led coalition has provided 24,000 gas masks to Iraqi and Kurdish troops as they continue to push toward Mosul. 

The sulphur - sulfur is the American spelling - emanated from al-Mishraq near Mosul but has blown south towards Baghdad, rising into the atmosphere at the same time

The sulphur cloud shows up on a map. It has spread north into Iran and across the Caspian Sea. Atmospheric scientist Simon Carn tweeted this image and said it was the equivalent of a large volcanic eruption 

An Iraqi soldier puts on a gas mask as smoke billows in the background following ISIS setting fire to the al-Mishraq sulphur factory

How does sulphur dioxide affect us?

Sulphur dioxide is an invisible gas, which has a nasty smell. It reacts with other substances to form harmful compounds, such as sulphuric acid, and sulphate particles.

When inhaled it irritates the nose, throat and airways, causing coughing, wheezing and a tight feeling around the chest. People with asthma are particularly badly affected.

When sulphur dioxide dissolves in water droplets in clouds, it makes so-called acid rain. 

Acid rain can damage buildings and trees. It also makes rivers and lakes too acidic for some fish to survive.

Ironically the news about the sulphur cloud in Iraq comes as the International Maritime Organisation set global regulations to limit the amount of sulphur emissions from ships on the high seas, laws which will come into force from 2020.

The IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee in London said sulphur emissions will fall from the current maximum of 3.5 percent of fuel content to 0.5 percent.

Environment campaigner Bill Hemmings: ''This is a landmark decision and we are very pleased that the world has bitten the bullet and is now tackling poisonous sulphuric fuel in 2020

'This decision reduces the contribution of shipping to the world's air pollution impact from about five percent down to 1.5 percent and will save millions of lives in the coming decades.' 

Hospitals in Mosul were overwhelmed with patients including children and pregnant women who had inhaled the gas from the plant causing breathing problems and choking

Smoke rises from the al-Mishraq sulphur plant following a fire caused by ISIS jihadis at the weekend

A member of the Iraqi special forces guards a checkpoint near the village of Awsaja as smoke from fires lit by Islamic State militants at oil wells and a sulphur plant fills the air

Women and children were seen leaving their homes along side an elderly man who needed a walking stick 

 

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