In the communes close to Valence devastated by deadly floods last week, the deluge of mud brought pestilential odours in its wake, raising questions about possible health risks. These odors “of rotten eggs and sulfur. emanating from the disaster zones come from “the decomposition of organic matter without oxygen”.explains Miguel Rodilla, a biologist at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. “It’s not ideal for your health”. to inhale them, warns the scientist, but it would be necessary “higher concentrations” of decomposed substances in the air for them to be toxic, says the biologist.

Over time, “we can find many cases in which people have headaches and perceptual distortions.”says Rodilla. Many of the volunteers and evacuees on site have complained of migraines and dizziness after breathing in the bad smells. In and around Valencia, the masks have reappearedas during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Currently, no flood-related epidemics have been detected.”reassured Health Minister Mónica García on X. A surveillance protocol has been set up “to prevent infections and diseases transmitted by agents found in mud and stagnant water”.she added.

A response that did not convince Greenpeace. “The government’s official version is that there is no problem, but we have no way of verifying this, so we will do our own analysis.”of the mud, said the environmental NGO.

Cases of gastroenteritis

Following the outbreak of some cases of gastroenteritis, the Minister of Health conceded on RNE public radio that “scientific evidence indicates that there are[ait] a risk related to pathogens, particularly in stagnant water, which can trigger gastrointestinal disorders or pneumonia”.. In addition, regional health authorities have reported “two probable cases of leptospirosis”.a bacterial disease, in two volunteers involved in cleaning operations.

To avoid any risk of contamination, and in view of the influx of volunteers from all over Spain to lend a hand, a series of recommendations were issued on social networks. “Anyone going to the affected area should wear a mask, gloves, boots, long sleeves, long pants and protective glasses, especially when handling stagnant water or sludge.”insisted Rosa Touris, spokeswoman for Cecopi, the emergency committee set up after the floods, at a press briefing.

More than ten days after the floods that killed at least 220 people in south-eastern Spain, many municipalities in the Valencia region have still not cleared all the mud that covered them. The soaked earth is now staining the pavements and walls of homes brown, and carrying odors of varying intensity.

The smell of rotting meat

A supermarket in Sedavi, a town in Valencia, has a foul smell. “It’s rotten meat”.explains Toni Marco, an employee of a cleaning company. The meat “was left there on the day of the flood and could only now be removed.”continues the 40-year-old agent. For the past ten days, these foodstuffs have been stored in refrigerators without electricity.

From one street to the next, the smells “change” because “each decomposition of an element smells differently”adds Angel Aldehuela, a 51-year-old firefighter from Catarroja, near Valencia. According to the rescue worker, the stench “is going to get worse”. “I don’t know how long it can last, it will depend on the means of cleaning.” but he’s betting on more “a few weeks”.

And in the coming days, the health authorities in the province of Valencia will also be paying particular attention to the risk of mosquitoes proliferating in stagnant water, a vector of disease. The regional Ministry of Health has called on the 79 municipalities affected by the disaster to adopt measures to deal with the situation.