Long-term health effects of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption: a prospective cohort study in 2010 and 2013.

• Published in: BMJ Open
• Main Authors: Hlodversdottir, Heidrun, Petursdottir, Gudrun, Carlsen, Hanne Krage, Gislason, Thorarinn, Hauksdottir, Arna
• Other Authors: 1Centre of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland. 2Faculty of Nursing, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland Institute for Sustainability Studies, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland. 3Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland Department of Respiratory Medicine and Sleep, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2016
• Subjects: Eldgosið í Eyjafjallajökli; Öndunarfærasjúkdómar; Áfallastreita; PAD12; Mental Health; Disasters; Respiration Disorders; Stress Disorders; Traumatic; Eyjafjallajökull
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/620029; https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011444

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files. This article is open access. To examine the long-term development of physical and mental health following exposure to a volcanic eruption. Population-based prospective cohort study. In spring 2010, the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted. Data were collected at 2 time points: in 2010 and 2013. Adult residents in areas close to the Eyjafjallajökull volcano (N=1096), divided according to exposure levels, and a non-exposed sample (n=475), with 80% participation rate in 2013. Physical symptoms in the previous year (chronic) and previous month (recent), and psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-12-item version, GHQ-12), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale, PSS-4) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (Primary Care PTSD, PC-PTSD). In the exposed group, certain symptoms were higher in 2013 than in 2010, for example, morning phlegm during winter (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.49 to 3.06), skin rash/eczema (OR 2.86; 95% CI 1.76 to 4.65), back pain (OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.03 to 2.05) and insomnia (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.01 to 2.30), in addition to a higher prevalence of regular use of certain medications (eg, for asthma (OR 2.80; 95% CI 1.01 to 7.77)). PTSD symptoms decreased between 2010 and 2013 (OR 0.33; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.61), while the prevalence of psychological distress and perceived stress remained similar. In 2013, the exposed group showed a higher prevalence of various respiratory symptoms than did the non-exposed group, such as wheezing without a cold (high exposure OR 2.35; 95% CI 1.27 to 4.47) and phlegm (high exposure OR 2.81; 95% CI 1.48 to 5.55), some symptoms reflecting the degree of exposure (eg, nocturnal chest tightness (medium exposed OR 3.09; 95% CI 1.21 to 10.46; high exposed OR 3.42; 95% CI 1.30 to 11.79)). The findings indicate that people exposed to a volcanic eruption, especially those most ...