High Court Finds Disease Caused by Vog Exposure Compensable

A technology coordinator who became ill from breathing in volcanic smoke and ash while working at a high school built on a steep mountainside in Maui is entitled to workers' compensation benefits because the strenuous task of walking around the campus exacerbated his preexisting asthma, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled. Case: Van Ness v. Hawaii Department of Education, SCWC-11-0000775, 01/23/2014. Published.Facts: Lynedon Van Ness worked as a technology coordinator at Lahainaluna High School on Maui from July 2005 to November 2006. He had a history of mild asthma that he controlled with pres...