A survey of early health effects of the Eyjafjallajokull 2010 eruption in Iceland : a population-based study
Objective To estimate physical and mental health effects of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption on nearby residents. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted on 14 April 2010. The eruption lasted for about 6 weeks and was explosive, ejecting some 8 mill...
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Centre of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
2012
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Online Access: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-89158 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000343 |
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ftumeauniv:oai:DiVA.org:umu-89158 2023-10-09T21:51:18+02:00 A survey of early health effects of the Eyjafjallajokull 2010 eruption in Iceland : a population-based study Carlsen, Hanne Krage Gislason, Thorarinn Benediktsdottir, Bryndis Kolbeinsson, Thorir Bjorn Hauksdottir, Arna Thorsteinsson, Throstur Briem, Haraldur 2012 application/pdf http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-89158 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000343 eng eng Centre of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland BMJ Publishing Group BMJ Open, 2012, 2:2, s. e000343- http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-89158 doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000343 ISI:000315042100008 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess posttraumatic-stress-disorder volcanic air-pollution hazards ash instrument validity Occupational Health and Environmental Health Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin Article in journal info:eu-repo/semantics/article text 2012 ftumeauniv https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000343 2023-09-22T14:01:01Z Objective To estimate physical and mental health effects of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption on nearby residents. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted on 14 April 2010. The eruption lasted for about 6 weeks and was explosive, ejecting some 8 million tons of fine particles into the atmosphere. Due to prevailing winds, the ash spread mostly to the south and south-east, first over the rural region to the south, later over the Atlantic Ocean and Europe, closing European air space for several days. Participants Residents (n=207) of the most ash-exposed rural area south and east of the volcano. Methods The study period was from 31 May to 11 June 2010. Participants were examined by a physician. To ascertain respiratory health, standardised spirometry was performed before and after the use of a bronchodilator. All adult participants answered questionnaires about mental and physical health, their children's health and the use of protective equipment. Results Every other adult participant reported irritation in eyes and upper airway when exposed to volcanic ash. Adults (n=26) and children (n=5) with pre-existing asthma frequently reported worsening of their symptoms. No serious health problems requiring hospitalisation could be attributed to the eruption. The majority of the participants reported no abnormal physical or mental symptoms to the examining physician. Compared to an age- and gender-matched reference group, the ash-exposed participants reported lower smoking rates and were less likely to have ventilation impairment. Less than 10% of the participants reported symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression. Conclusions Short-term ash exposure was associated with upper airway irritation symptoms and exacerbation of pre-existing asthma but did not contribute to serious health problems. The exposure did not impair respiratory function compared to controls. Outdoor use of protective glasses and face masks was considered protective against irritation in eyes and upper ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Eyjafjallajökull Iceland Umeå University: Publications (DiVA) Eyjafjallajokull ENVELOPE(-19.633,-19.633,63.631,63.631) BMJ Open 2 2 e000343 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Umeå University: Publications (DiVA) |
op_collection_id |
ftumeauniv |
language |
English |
topic |
posttraumatic-stress-disorder volcanic air-pollution hazards ash instrument validity Occupational Health and Environmental Health Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin |
spellingShingle |
posttraumatic-stress-disorder volcanic air-pollution hazards ash instrument validity Occupational Health and Environmental Health Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin Carlsen, Hanne Krage Gislason, Thorarinn Benediktsdottir, Bryndis Kolbeinsson, Thorir Bjorn Hauksdottir, Arna Thorsteinsson, Throstur Briem, Haraldur A survey of early health effects of the Eyjafjallajokull 2010 eruption in Iceland : a population-based study |
topic_facet |
posttraumatic-stress-disorder volcanic air-pollution hazards ash instrument validity Occupational Health and Environmental Health Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin |
description |
Objective To estimate physical and mental health effects of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption on nearby residents. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted on 14 April 2010. The eruption lasted for about 6 weeks and was explosive, ejecting some 8 million tons of fine particles into the atmosphere. Due to prevailing winds, the ash spread mostly to the south and south-east, first over the rural region to the south, later over the Atlantic Ocean and Europe, closing European air space for several days. Participants Residents (n=207) of the most ash-exposed rural area south and east of the volcano. Methods The study period was from 31 May to 11 June 2010. Participants were examined by a physician. To ascertain respiratory health, standardised spirometry was performed before and after the use of a bronchodilator. All adult participants answered questionnaires about mental and physical health, their children's health and the use of protective equipment. Results Every other adult participant reported irritation in eyes and upper airway when exposed to volcanic ash. Adults (n=26) and children (n=5) with pre-existing asthma frequently reported worsening of their symptoms. No serious health problems requiring hospitalisation could be attributed to the eruption. The majority of the participants reported no abnormal physical or mental symptoms to the examining physician. Compared to an age- and gender-matched reference group, the ash-exposed participants reported lower smoking rates and were less likely to have ventilation impairment. Less than 10% of the participants reported symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression. Conclusions Short-term ash exposure was associated with upper airway irritation symptoms and exacerbation of pre-existing asthma but did not contribute to serious health problems. The exposure did not impair respiratory function compared to controls. Outdoor use of protective glasses and face masks was considered protective against irritation in eyes and upper ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Carlsen, Hanne Krage Gislason, Thorarinn Benediktsdottir, Bryndis Kolbeinsson, Thorir Bjorn Hauksdottir, Arna Thorsteinsson, Throstur Briem, Haraldur |
author_facet |
Carlsen, Hanne Krage Gislason, Thorarinn Benediktsdottir, Bryndis Kolbeinsson, Thorir Bjorn Hauksdottir, Arna Thorsteinsson, Throstur Briem, Haraldur |
author_sort |
Carlsen, Hanne Krage |
title |
A survey of early health effects of the Eyjafjallajokull 2010 eruption in Iceland : a population-based study |
title_short |
A survey of early health effects of the Eyjafjallajokull 2010 eruption in Iceland : a population-based study |
title_full |
A survey of early health effects of the Eyjafjallajokull 2010 eruption in Iceland : a population-based study |
title_fullStr |
A survey of early health effects of the Eyjafjallajokull 2010 eruption in Iceland : a population-based study |
title_full_unstemmed |
A survey of early health effects of the Eyjafjallajokull 2010 eruption in Iceland : a population-based study |
title_sort |
survey of early health effects of the eyjafjallajokull 2010 eruption in iceland : a population-based study |
publisher |
Centre of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-89158 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000343 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-19.633,-19.633,63.631,63.631) |
geographic |
Eyjafjallajokull |
geographic_facet |
Eyjafjallajokull |
genre |
Eyjafjallajökull Iceland |
genre_facet |
Eyjafjallajökull Iceland |
op_relation |
BMJ Open, 2012, 2:2, s. e000343- http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-89158 doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000343 ISI:000315042100008 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000343 |
container_title |
BMJ Open |
container_volume |
2 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
e000343 |
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1779314415475097600 |