A sulfurous smell reported Monday in western Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture was probably caused by smoke from volcanic activity on Miyake Island, according to Kanagawa prefectural officials.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government said the amount of sulfur dioxide measured in the air in the Tama district is 3.5 times higher than the government's maximum allowable standard of 0.1 parts per million measured in one hour. At Kanagawa Prefecture's 56 observation points, 11 showed concentrations of sulfur dioxide that exceeded the national limit.
Officials said that the concentrations peaked between noon and about 2 p.m., with levels falling by evening.