Mount Stromboli erupting again – major health dangers
We don’t know if there are any.
We do know that on 11th July 2024, the volcano on Stromboli island started erupting again. There is more here from the BBC on this latest activity.
The top of the volcano exploded, sending a gigantic column of ash four or five kilometres (2.5-3 miles) into the sky. Mount Stromboli, off the north coast of Sicily, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
On 11th July 2024, it produced a paroxysm – a term in geology for a type of powerful eruption that interrupts a period of milder volcanic activity. In the villages nestled around the foot of the volcano, warning sirens blared.
In a recent study – a systematic review – by Greta Amat-Baeza (2023), the health dangers of volcanoes was investigated.
Objectives of authors. There is some evidence of the exacerbation of certain diseases due to exposure to ashes and volcanic gases. However the evidence behind this statement is equivocal.
Hence the authors valuated the relationship between volcanic eruptions and short- and long-term effects on human health.
Methods. A systematic peer review was carried out. The included diseases were respiratory, ophthalmological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, as well as other effects on human health.
All volcanoes on the planet were included.
They included standard terms for volcanic eruptions and diseases related to them.
Results. Of 57 included studies, 26 evaluated the relationship between volcanic eruptions and short-term effects on human health, and 31 considered long-term effects on human health.
The most frequently analysed short-term diseases were respiratory (92%, n=24), ophthalmological (23%, n=6) and cardiovascular (23%, n=6), and respiratory disease (32%, n=10) and cancer (26%, n=8) in the long term.
Most volcanoes were in the USA, Iceland, Japan, and Italy. 81% (n = 21) of the short-term,and 74% (n=23) of the long-term studies, consider that there is an effect due to volcanic eruptions; compared to 11% (n=3) and 13% (n=4), respectively, that did not find this relationship.
Summary
The volcano on Stromboli remains active and is erupting again.
This review – with variable results – reinforces the need for new studies examining the short- and long-term effects of volcanic eruptions on human health.
In the meantime, currently, most of the scientific community and international organisations agree that volcanic eruptions impact human health.
Therefore, it is important to develop contingency plans to protect vulnerable populations from the effects of these natural phenomena.
