The Significant Damage of Earthquakes

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Recently, on 25th February, an earthquake with a moment magnitude (Mw) of 6.2 hit Indonesia's Sumatra, wounding many and killing at least 11 people (The Guardian, 2022). Thousands were displaced in the aftermath and tremors were felt even in neighbouring countries Singapore and Malaysia. The effects were of course devastating as rescue is still being carried out in affected states. But apart from immediate injuries, how do earthquakes affect the health of those living nearby? According to NASA's Astrophysics Data System (ADS), earthquakes of similar magnitude can result in 14 groups of Infectious Diseases, including respiratory, water-borne, skin, vector-borne, and many more. These are often an indirect consequence of the earthquakes, termed secondary Earthquake Environment Effects (EEE) and more badly affects countries/areas with poor access to healthcare, sanitation and clean water. 


Location of Epicentre of Sumatra Earthquake. Source: DW

Earthquakes also significantly affect ecosystems through water or air contamination. For example, Tolun, et al. (2006) look at what happens when there are petrochemical facilities located near the epicentre of the earthquake. They studied and measured concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH), a particularly toxic Persistent Organic Pollutant which remains in the air for a relatively long period of time, in Izmit Bay after the 7.4 Mw Izmit Earthquake in 1999. PAHs are released from the combustion of fossil fuels or organic matter and may bind to fine particulate matter, posing a threat to health when inhaled. In this case, PAH was observed in sediments in Izmit Bay both before and after the earthquake, although present in higher concentrations after. The pre-earthquake conditions already prompted pyrolysis - the process of chemically decomposing or transforming organic matter into one or more recoverable substances by heating it to very high temperatures in an oxygen-free environment (Basu, 2010) - while the strong water movements after the earthquake saw an increase in petrogenic sources (from the facility's usage of fossil-fuels) of contamination.  Both pyrolytic and petrogenic processes contributed to the increase in PAHs in the bay. This consequently affects the biota and health of aquatic environments as well, when sediments contain carcinogens that are damaging. This is just one of the many examples of pollution resulting from earthquakes of high magnitudes, and I felt that this case study was particularly important as the earthquakes which occur in Indonesia tend to have their epicentres located near the coasts. Although the impact on human lives is significant, we tend to forget about the impacts of natural disasters on ecosystems.


References:

Basu, P. (2010). Chapter 3 - Pyrolysis and Torrefaction (P. B. T.-B. G. and P. Basu (ed.); pp. 65–96). Academic Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-374988-8.00003-9

Spyridon, M., Maria, M., Efthymios, L., & Athanassios, T. (2017, April). Impact of earthquakes and their secondary environmental effects on public health. NASA/ADS. Retrieved March 5, 2022, from https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..19.3884M/abstract 

The Guardian. (2022, February 28). Indonesia earthquake death toll climbs to 11 after more bodies recovered on Sumatra. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/28/indonesia-earthquake-death-toll-climbs-after-more-bodies-recovered-on-sumatra

Tolun, L., Martens, D., Okay, O. S., & Schramm, K. W. (2006). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination in coastal sediments of the Izmit Bay (Marmara Sea): Case studies before and after the Izmit Earthquake. Environment International, 32(6), 758–765. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2006.03.014 

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