Bad odors spread in the areas surrounding the Spanish city of Valencia after it was struck by devastating floods last week, raising questions about the possibility of health risks.
Miguel Rodella, a biologist at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, said that the smells of “rotten eggs and sulfur” emanating from the affected areas result from “the decomposition of organic materials without oxygen.”
He stressed that inhaling it “is not ideal for health,” pointing out that it will become toxic if emissions of decomposed materials in the air become “more concentrated.”
“We may find many more cases of headaches and cognitive distortions” over time, he said.
Many volunteers and victims in the affected areas complained of migraines and dizziness after inhaling unpleasant odors.
In Valencia and its surrounding areas, many resorted to wearing masks, as is customary during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, Health Minister Monica Garcia reassured citizens on the X website, saying that “no epidemic linked to the floods has currently been reported.”
She confirmed the establishment of a control protocol “to prevent infections and diseases transmitted through elements found in mud and stagnant water.”
Her position did not convince Greenpeace, a non-governmental organization concerned with the environment. The organization said, “The official government story confirms that there is no problem, but we have no way to verify this, so we will conduct our own analysis” of the mud.
illnesses
After some cases of gastroenteritis appeared, the Minister of Health acknowledged in an interview on public radio that “scientific evidence indicates that there is a risk associated with pathogenic agents, especially in stagnant water, that can lead to disorders of the digestive system or pneumonia.”
On the other hand, the health authorities in the region announced that two volunteers who participated in the cleaning operations were “suspected” of being infected with “leptospirosis,” a bacterial disease.
A series of recommendations spread on social media with the aim of avoiding the risk of spreading diseases, with volunteers flocking from all over Spain to help.
Rosa Torres, spokeswoman for the emergency committee that was formed after the disaster, stressed during a press conference the importance of “any person heading to the affected area being equipped with a mask, gloves, shoes, a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and protective glasses, especially when dealing with stagnant water or mud.” .
More than 10 days after the floods that left at least 220 people dead in southeastern Spain, many municipalities in the Valencia region have not yet removed all the wet brown mud spread on the roads and on the walls of homes, emitting unpleasant odors.
Mosquito spread
A foul smell emanates from a large store in the town of Cedavi, located in the Valencia region, and Tony Marco (40 years old), an employee at a cleaning company, said that the source of the smell was “rotten meat.”
He stated that the meat “was here on the day of the flood and had not been able to be taken out before now.” Food remained in refrigerators for 10 days without electricity.
Angel Aldehuela (51 years old), a firefighter working in Catarroja, near Valencia, pointed out that the smells “change” from one street to another because “each decomposing element has a different smell.”
He expected the unpleasant odors to increase, saying, “I don’t know how long this situation will last,” estimating that the cleaning process would take “a few weeks.”
In the coming days, the health authorities in the province of Valencia will also pay special attention to the dangers of mosquitoes spreading in stagnant water, as they transmit diseases. The Ministry of Health in the region called on the 79 affected municipalities to take measures to deal with this situation.