Human health effects of volcanic eruptions – a systematic review

Abstract

Objectives: There is evidence of the exacerbation of certain pathologies due to exposure to ashes and volcanic gases. We evaluated the relationship between volcanic eruptions and short- and long-term effects on human health. Methodology: 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. We 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 analyzed short-term diseases were respiratory pathologies (92%, n=24), ophthalmological (23%, n=6) and cardiovascular (23%, n=6), and respiratory pathologies (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 affectation due to volcanic eruptions, compared to 11% (n=3) and 13% (n=4), respectively, that did not find this relationship. Conclusion: Heterogeneous results among studies reinforce the need to continue developing new studies for the evaluation of short- and long-term effects of volcanic eruptions on human health. Despite this, currently, most of the scientific community and international organizations agree that volcanic eruptions impact human health. Therefore, it is important to develop contingency plans to protect vulnerable populations from suffering the effects of these natural phenomena.