【Watch A Wife's Secret (2014)】

As Iraqi forces fight to retake Mosul from the so-called Islamic State (ISIS),Watch A Wife's Secret (2014) clouds of toxic fumes are spreading across northern Iraq.

The acrid smoke, which is so significant it is visible from space, is threatening to harm Iraqis' health just as hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing Mosul for their lives.

Militants from the Islamic State blew up the Al-Mishraq sulfur processing plant over the weekend and set fire to 19 oil wells in an effort to hamper the advance of Iraqi and U.S. forces.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

SEE ALSO: The battle for Mosul is being live streamed on Facebook

NASA released new images on Thursday showing sulfur dioxide plumes dispersing across northern and central Iraq as early as Oct. 20.

Large concentrations of sulfur dioxide can permanently damage the respiratory system and make breathing difficult. Depending where it is located in the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide can also contribute to acid rain and act as a temporary cooling influence on the climate.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

According to Al-Jazeera, at least two Iraqi civilians have died from toxic fumes, and nearly 1,000 people were being treated for breathing problems as of Oct. 22.

NASA said the sulfur dioxide was initially in lower parts of the atmosphere, but shifting winds pushed it higher, enabling the particles to travel longer distances.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

The agency's ozone monitoring equipment detected two streaks of plumes. The white-gray streak, from the sulfur plant, is rich with sulfate aerosols and droplets of light-reflecting sulfuric acid. Black plumes from the Qayyarah oil field are rich with black carbon and other light-absorbing aerosols.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

ISIS has ruled Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, for more than two years. The push to retake Mosul from the militants is the largest operation launched by Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

The Al-Mishraq sulfur facility was also set ablaze that year. The fire, which burned for nearly a month, release some 21 kilotons of sulfur dioxide per day, according to NASA satellite data gathered in 2003.

U.S. soldiers exposed to the fire suffered serious lung damage. Nineteen personnel had open lung biopsies and were diagnosed with constrictive bronchiolitis, a disease similar to asthma that restricts the airway, the Department of Veterans Affairs said in 2010.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

NASA has not yet calculated the total output of this month's toxic fires near Mosul, a city of more than a million. But the agency said the sulfur dioxide emissions have already been significant.

Simon Carn, an atmospheric scientist at Michigan Technological University, said that if the sulfur dioxide was coming from a volcano rather than a fire, it would already be among the largest volcanic eruptions of 2016, he noted in an Oct. 25 tweet.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that 700,000 people were expected to flee Mosul as Iraqi forces continued their advance, a battle that is expected to take weeks, if not months.

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.

• Shopping
• Social Good
• Life
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Digital Culture
• Science
• Games

• Sabalenka vs. Svitolina 2025 livestream: Watch Madrid Open for free
• 50 million
• Amazon Echo calls sheriff's office in domestic dispute
• Turns out we'll get to see 'Stranger Things' Season 2 sooner than expected
• Dyson V8 Plus cordless vacuum: $120 off at Amazon
• Shia LaBeouf arrested in Georgia for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct
• Smart speaker calls 911 during domestic dispute, police rescue woman and daughter
• Two more airlines are letting passengers use their laptops again
• The internet is talking like Kevin from 'The Office' now
• Dude leaves Ferrari parked overnight in lot, gets stuck at center of weekend flea market

• The Museum of English Rural Life catapults to Twitter fame thanks to thicc ram
• Instagram enables Badges for US
• How to use Legacy Contact, the estate planning feature in iOS 15
• TikTok helps adoptees find a new community to explore joy, family, and belonging
• A guide to floral foam videos, the slime videos of 2018
• Judge in Rittenhouse trial demonstrates shocking ignorance of basic tech
• The CDC wants to contain antibiotic
• Broadway musical 'Diana' is a royal mess: Review
• Not going to Coachella? You can still watch Beyoncé perform
• Michelle Obama shared the perfect parenting metaphor for Trump's White House

• Best Apple deal: Save $60 on the Apple Watch SE
• Mark Cuban made his top NBA draft pick delete some 'stupid' old tweets
• These guys covered 'Baby on Board' from The Simpsons on a rooftop
• Donald Trump Jr. wanted to show he's a liar before the NYT did
• Contingent No More
• Campaign promoting Chinese gets one of its slogan's Chinese words wrong
• 'Outlander' announces Season 3 premiere date
• Grooms marry in same
• Apple iPhone 17 Pro leaks highlight major new design change
• Dear Silicon Valley VCs, your trite sexism apology blogs of self

• Seven Steam games whose reviews have changed a lot
• Twitter is making it way easier to ignore hateful trolls
• Rob Kardashian says he regrets posting Blac Chyna revenge porn
• Sen. Chuck Schumer wants to take away our precious, precious snortable chocolate
• Boeing's new VR simulator immerses astronauts in space training
• Say hello to Lightsaber Baby, who might make you embrace the Dark Side
• Marvel's New Warriors casts Squirrel Girl and more
• Amazon Echo calls sheriff's office in domestic dispute
• CPU Price Watch: 9900K Incoming, Ryzen Cuts
• 4 people sign up to live in a locked bunker for 200 days to experience space travel