“A volcano may be considered as a cannon of immense size.”
Oliver Goldsmith.
Now that we have looked at some of the causes and events leading up to Mt Pinatubo’s eruption and how the outdoor air quality in the Philippines and all around the world has been affected by the eruption in our previous post, we will be moving on to discuss on some of the health problems posed by this volcanic eruption.
General Patterns
- Mt Pinatubo eruption has affected everyone globally – not just in the Philippines. From our earlier introductory series, I think that some of you might be able to recall that volcanic eruption are capable of releasing air pollutants in the form of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Major Health Threats (Pappas, 2011)
- Volcanic eruption on Mt Pinatubo spewed out a great amount of toxic gases, ash, lava and rocks.
- 874 people were killed from collapsing roofs, lahar flows and diseases like measles that arose as an aftermath of the volcanic eruption.
- Many people from all over the world had suffered from suffocation and breathing difficulties due to the intense amount of harmful gases and ashes emitted into the air. This has affected people with pre-existing respiratory symptoms such as asthma or bronchitis most, which made them even more vulnerable.
- Because of the high concentration of gases in the air after the eruption, people residing near the volcanoes mostly experienced conditions like rapid breathing, constant headaches and dizziness along with spasms, swelling of throats and suffocation.
- For locations that are further away from Mt Pinatubo, people experienced health problems such as irritations in the eyes, noses and throats from the presence of a lower concentration of toxic gases as compared to the Philippines.
- Besides dealing with health concerns over injuries from falling debris and respiratory illnesses, the Philippines has to deal with health impacts that arose from Typhoon Yunya that struck on the same day as the major volcanic eruption. As a result, many people in the Philippines had to deal with the outbreak of infectious diseases such as malaria and cholera due to flash floods caused by the typhoon.
- Many survivors who were evacuated lived in temporary shelters with limited access to clean water for consumption. With the mixing of floodwaters along with ashes and lava, it has led to other health problems relating to the spread of infectious waterborne diseases.
- As usual, here’s a short video to end this segment:
My Thoughts
Although we can try to predict and anticipate natural disasters with the use of technology, I still think that this might not be fully accurate. As seen from this case study, even though the geologists and volcanologists were able to predict the incoming volcanic eruption, they were unable to provide an exact date as to when the disaster would strike, along with the intensity and damage. They were unable to predict the arrival of Typhoon Yunya too! Since Mt Pinatubo is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, I believe that there would have already been measures put into place to ensure the safety of the people who live near the volcano to prevent future eruptions from causing as big of a damage. Some of the health problems might be long-lasting even years after the eruption, hence proper healthcare support is essential to take care of the health of the affected people.
So, what’s next?
This is a relatively short case studies series as compared to my last case study on the transboundary haze pollution issue in Southeast Asia. So, for the next post, I will most likely be sharing videos or documentaries relating to Mt Pinatubo’s eruption in relation to the importance of early prediction and international cooperation!
Disappearing into thin air,
Yuin Chi
References:
Pappas, S., 2011. ‘Pinatubo: Why the Biggest Volcanic Eruption Wasn’t the Deadliest’. Retrieved from: https://www.livescience.com/14603-pinatubo-eruption-20-anniversary.html
Air Pollution 