#1 Volcanic Impacts on Health: Introductory

This post will talk about the importance to understand volcanic impacts on human health.

Earlier Studies

Public interests have been centred on the fate of victims of volcanic eruptions since the 18th century Initially, there was a wide belief of having flowing mud and heavy ashfall as the reasons for death, but not until the eruption of Mt St Helen in 1980 that scientists extended studies and investigated pyroclastic surges and lahars for the reasons. More studies are conducted on the health effects of volcanic ash since then.

Vulnerabilities

Map: Significant Volcanic Eruptions from 4360 BC to AD 2022

Around 10% of the global population is living in volcanic vulnerable areas. As shown in the Map, many of the deadliest and most eruptive volcanic eruptions happen along the ‘Ring of Fire’, around the Pacific Ocean. According to the data in 2020, the total number of death is estimated to be over 300,000 with an economic loss of $8.9 billion. However, the data is somehow underestimated and the population living in active volcanic areas is still rising. This suggests volcanic activities are putting more people in danger, highlighting the necessity of realising the significance of health-related impacts.

Importance

Following volcanic eruptions, reducing vulnerabilities could be one of the most important targets for human health aspects. Three possible methods could help to achieve this:

Firstly, public health and NGO officers could offer pre-disaster preparedness involving offering information and support, to reduce the possibility of being affected. Various types and forms of information could be provided for understanding the activities and planning beforehand. For instance, official websites such as FEMA and NGO websites such as American Red Cross all list multiple methods for volcanic preparation, survival during and actions after the event. A specific study conducted in the USA found that the information and preparation offered by communities boost individuals’ confidence as they felt more prepared themselves. This could more likely contribute to better evacuation outcomes such as reducing vulnerabilities.

Secondly, methodology improvements could be highlighted for future preparation. Authorities could learn from previous methods to develop more effective and appropriate approaches to protect the population. Cohesion within the community is important in raising mitigation strategies. This means preparation such as evacuation drills should target a wider community. Despite the research solely investigated in Washington, this message could still be applicable to reduce vulnerability and test the effectiveness for further improvements.

Lastly, hazard mapping could help identify high-risk exposure areas and develop strategies to reduce potential health effects. Although many volcanoes pose threat to developing countries, only a small number have been subjected to hazard assessment. The development and implementation of cost-effective and rapid hazard maps are essential for this. Hazard maps help to identify areas prone to hazards, from which exclusion zone are established to evacuate communities from danger and densely built areas are planned away for minimizing life loss.

The importance of understanding volcanic impacts on health is illustrated, the next post will discuss how health impacts could further affect society.