Four factsheets synthesize knowledge about the health effects of natural hazards for health practitioners
The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the important roles that public health agencies play in disaster preparedness and response. However, information about the health impacts of specific hazards needed to guide planning is often inaccessible (e.g., behind paywalls) or difficult to understand. These four factsheets synthesize information about the health impacts of three natural hazards of particular concern to the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S.- earthquakes, tsunamis, and wildfire smoke. An additional factsheet covers the mental health impacts of all disasters. We hope they will serve as a convenient, evidence-informed reference tool for practitioners and others planning for or responding to natural hazards.
METHODS
To produce the factsheets, we compiled both peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify the key health consequences of each natural hazard. For peer-reviewed articles, we used the following keywords in PubMed and Google Scholar: “wildfire smoke exposure,” “wildfire smoke,” “tsunami,” “earthquake,” “health impacts,” “health effects,” “health,” and “health consequences.” We identified relevant gray literature through governmental, non-governmental, and academic organization websites. Then we developed narrative text to explain key themes.
We recruited subject matter experts at the 2022 Disaster Research Response workshop in Seattle, Washington to review the text and provide feedback, which we systematically incorporated or resolved before formatting the text into our factsheets.
AUTHORS
Matias Korfmacher, Ashley Moore, MPH, Lisa Hayward, PhD, and Nicole A. Errett, PhD, MSPH
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Awards #2103713 and #1940034. Additional support was provided by grant #P30ES0070 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF or NIEHS.
FACTSHEETS
Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke
Health Effects of Tsunamis
Health Effects of Earthquakes
Mental Health Effects of Natural Hazards