In communities near Valencia devastated by deadly floods last week, the deluge of mud brought pestilential odors in its wake, raising questions about possible health risks.
These “rotten egg, sulfur” smells emanating from the disaster areas come from “the decomposition of organic matter without oxygen”, explains to AFP Miguel Rodilla, biologist at the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
“It is not ideal for health” to inhale them, warns the scientist, but “higher concentrations” of substances decomposed in the air would be necessary for them to be toxic, believes the biologist.
Over time, “we can find many cases in which people have headaches and distortions of perception”, specifies Mr. Rodilla.
Among the volunteers or victims on site, many complained of migraines and dizziness after having to breathe these bad odors. In Valencia and its surrounding areas, masks have reappeared, as during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Currently, no epidemic linked to the floods has been detected,” however, reassured Minister of Health Mónica García about X. A surveillance protocol was put in place “to prevent infections and diseases transmitted by agents found in mud and stagnant water,” she added.
A response which did not convince Greenpeace. “The official government version is that there is no problem, but we have no way of verifying it, so we will do our own analysis,” of the mud, said the NGO for the protection of the environment.
“Rotten meat”
After the appearance of certain cases of gastroenteritis, the Minister of Health conceded on public radio RNE that “scientific evidence indicates that there is a risk linked to pathogenic agents, in particular in waters stagnant, which can trigger gastrointestinal disorders or pneumonia.
In addition, regional health authorities reported “two probable cases of leptospirosis”, a bacterial disease, in two volunteers who participated in cleaning operations.
To avoid any risk of contamination and in the face of the influx of volunteers from all over Spain to help, a series of recommendations have been published on social networks.
“Anyone traveling to the affected area must wear a mask, gloves, boots, long sleeves, long pants and protective glasses, especially when handling stagnant water or sludge,” Rosa insisted. Touris, spokesperson for Cecopi, the emergency committee set up after the floods, during a press briefing.
More than ten days after the floods which left at least 219 dead in the south-east of Spain, many municipalities in the Valencia region have still not evacuated all the mud which covered them. The soggy earth is now coloring the roads and walls of homes are brown and carries more or less intense scents.
Proliferation of mosquitoes
A foul smell emanates from a supermarket in Sedavi, a town in Valencia. “It’s rotten meat,” says Toni Marco, an employee of a cleaning company.
The meat “was left there on the day of the flood and it could only be removed now”, continues the 40-year-old agent – for ten days, these foodstuffs have been in refrigerators without electricity.
From one street to another, the smells “change” because “each decomposition of an element smells differently,” adds Angel Aldehuela, a 51-year-old firefighter who works in Catarroja, near Valencia.
According to the rescuer, the stench “is going to get worse.” “I don’t know how long it can last, it will depend on the cleaning methods” but he is betting on “a few more weeks”.
And in the coming days, the health authorities of the province of Valencia will also pay particular attention to the risks of the proliferation of mosquitoes in stagnant waters, vectors of disease. The regional Ministry of Health called on the 79 municipalities hit by the disaster to adopt measures to deal with it.
