Brew: When looking at the sheer, raw, destructive power of a volcano, the first image that comes to mind is the fiery explosions and the burning lava. But that may be a mistake. As dangerous as the burning and the heat and the lava can all be— and they are— there are more dangerous elements of a volcano. In fact, living in the shadow of the immense power of a volcano can have greater, unseen dangers… watching… waiting for you to be unprepared... Pompeii. Once a thriving Roman city that became renowned among vacationers nestled near the Bay of Naples. In fact, it may have looked surprisingly familiar back in the day, a top tourist destination amongst the Roman elite with thriving businesses and streetside food stands, just with more “forced servitude”. And how do we know all of that? For the exact same reason that Pompeii ceased to be. A volcano. In the year 79 Common Era, Mount Vesuvius erupted. Pliny the Younger, who witnessed the scene from afar, described the eruption as a great tree that “rose to a great height on a sort of trunk and then split off into branches”. As the ash fell and clogged the air, it became difficult to breathe, taking the lives of thousands, burying their bodies and the very city itself for hundreds of years. And yet, this devastation left us with a perfectly preserved example of Roman life, teaching us much about this ancient civilization. Ironically, the ash that was so destructive to the city itself kept its buildings, effectively the skeleton of Pompeii, preserved beneath them like a great fossil, and while the bodies left in the streets decomposed hundreds of years ago, the pockets that they left behind were able to be filled with plaster, giving us a freeze frame of the last moments of Roman life. But what would happen if an eruption of this magnitude were to happen these days, and how would people react? Surely they wouldn’t just… stay there, and Pom-pay the price, right? Well, the answer to those questions lies just a short distance from the coast of Tokyo, Japan. Miyake-jima, or Miyake Island, is said to have beautiful, lush nature and be an excellent place to vacation to with its black sand beaches and tropical bird habitats. It also happens to have a massive volcano at its center. Incidentally, that volcano is responsible for the black sand on Miyake-jima’s beaches. There are many legends and myths involving Miyake-jima, which can be found in the collection Miyake-yi, dating its settlement back before or during the middle ages, but despite that, we do know that it became a prison island in the Edo era, the period between 1603 and 1868. In its time as a penal colony, it housed some famous Japanese figures, like the painter Hanabusa Itcho, who was exiled to the island in 1698 for creating caricatures of the Shogun - or military government. Or Kabuki actor Ikushima Shingoro, who was imprisoned after a forbidden affair he had with Ejima, a highborn lady in the Shogun’s court. Chill: Ohhh boy, a forbidden love affair! How romantic. Grill: How scandalous! Why isn’t there a movie about this? Chill: Or a play! Brew: I mean, there is. There have been a few. Grill: Then why haven’t I heard about them? Brew: Because they’re in Japanese. Grill: Oh, that’d do it. Brew: There was a western adaptation, but they did take some liberties. Luke: Aaaah Spitshine: Luke Worm, in the yarn. Well, I certainly hope you’re enjoying the up close view of Fuji-san. Luke: Huh, you know, I’ve always wanted to take a vacation somewhere warmer. Spitshine: Yes, and it’s about to get so much hotter. You really thought you could stop my marriage to the handmaiden, hmm? Luke: Sho-Gonna. Brew: Ah beans. Thankfully, I have a secret weapon when it comes to getting my weekly dose of Luke Worm, Nord VPN! With over 5,500 super-fast servers in so many countries, double data encryption that keeps me anonymous, and up to 6 simultaneous connections, not only can I watch my favourite shows on Netflix, but so can everyone else! Plus, NordVPN gives me unlimited bandwidth, has 24/7 customer support, and it protects my data while I’m traveling… Even if it’s just on Google maps. Or it would if I could. But hey, it doesn’t log my data either! Just go to nordvpn.com/brew, or use our code “brew” to get a 2-year plan plus one additional month with a huge discount. Now then, let’s just switch this on over and get back to the show. Love Interest: Luke, thank goodness you’re alright. I was certain I was going to lose you there. Luke: I’ll admit, it got a little heated there for a minute. Grill: Brew please, come on. Brew: Oh, yes, rest of the episode, got it. In the centuries since then, Miyakejima was built up as a populated island that saw its height in population in 1955, at which point it was home to over 7,000 people. Following the trend in mainland Japan, Miyakejima’s population has since been aging, and steadily declining. In 2000, the island was home to 3,845 people with 29% of the population being elderly people. Throughout those centuries have also been a rich history of volcanic eruptions. In fact, literature dates early eruptions back to as early as the year 1085, Common Era, with more eruptions in... (clears throat) (inhaling) 1154, 1469, 1535, 1595, 1643, 1712 through 1714, 1763 through 1769, 1811, 1835, 1874, 1940, 1962, and 1983. The most destructive recent eruptions were in 1940 and 1983, all of which came from “parasitic cones”, or fissures that split from the main volcano. The 1940 eruption saw lava flow that tragically took the lives of 11 of the island’s inhabitants and also formed a new hill via underwater eruptions. 1983 saw the destruction of 400 homes due to lava flow, and also threw ash and rocks onto the Southeastern portion of the island, though thankfully not enough to bury any cities. But what about the hidden dangers of volcanoes? While Pompeii is a good example, I think we can find another example that’s a little more… contemporary. Iceland, April 2010, Hanna Lara Andrews is awoken at 2AM by a phone call. Picking up the phone, she is informed by a civil protection official that she has 20 minutes to take her family and evacuate. Eyjafjallajokull—the very Icelandicly-named and impossible for me to pronounce—glacier covered mountain her farm sat at the base of, was erupting. And if her family didn’t leave, they would be swept away by the water melting from those very same glaciers that decorated it just the night before. But it wasn’t just meltwater that would endanger people. The eruption of Eyjaf— I am not saying that again—spewed smoke and ash into the sky, and for nearly a month made air travel across Europe impossibly dangerous. Grill: So you’re telling me one volcano stopped flights across an entire CONTINENT? Brew: Well, Europe’s really more of a subconti- Grill: Brew, please. Brew: Yes. Yes it did. In addition, over 800 people had to be evacuated as the glacier meltwater flooded surrounding regions, including a group of British schoolgirls on a school trip. In areas under the smoke, the sky darkened to the point where even car headlights barely made an impact, and the Icelandic government advised covering your mouth or wearing a gas mask to avoid breathing in ash. And where [Eyjafjallajokull] spat out ash, the volcano at the centre of Miyakejima has a tendency to spew out a hidden danger. In July of the year 2000, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions rocked Miyakejima, and while lava and hot gasses spewed forth from the main crater of Mount Oyama, the parasitic cones dotting the island started to release an invisible threat of their own: toxic gas. Specifically, sulfur dioxide. By September, an evacuation was declared and all of Miyakejima’s 3,600 residents were forced to leave. Many moved to Tokyo to live in temporary public housing, and most of them were hopeful that they would soon move back home. The volcano, however, had other plans. Mount Oyama continued to release toxic gasses at such a level that it took almost five years before their return. Finally, on February 1, 2005 those willing to return were given the go-ahead, but first they were warned that the gas hadn’t gone away completely. Returning meant living alongside gasses that could be fatal. Understandably, not all of the island’s residents wanted to return, and the population dropped from 3,800 to 3,200 in the course of the years spent as refugees. As the islanders stepped foot on the island, ready to return to their homes, Mount Oyama was still spewing out between 10,000 and 20,000 tons of sulfur dioxide a day, and while that’s certainly down from its peak of over 70,000 tons per day in November 2000, it’s still what we would call, “way too much”. Or, “enough to prevent flights there for 8 years.” So yeah, you’re gonna need a gas mask. Residents don’t have to wear gas masks all the time, but they were required to keep them on hand due to the fluctuating sulfur dioxide levels. When those levels got too high, a siren would sound across the island alerting everyone that it was time to mask up. Regions downwind from the volcano were also made off limits, and students were required to wear gas masks on the way to and from school. Gas masks can make breathing more difficult in those with chronic lung disease, but certainly less than, you know, choking on sulfur dioxide coming out of a volcano. When inhaled, sulfur dioxide can cause long-term respiratory issues like asthma after short-term exposure, and can cause coughing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, and even life threatening buildup of fluid in your lungs. Which is a fancy way of saying: Don’t breathe this. In terms of health effects from living in close proximity to a volcano actively spewing out gas, breathing difficulty, coughing, throat irritation, headaches, and nasal irritation were all found in a study conducted by staff at the Department of Surgery of Jichi Medical University in Japan. Interestingly, this study found that those inhabitants who reported symptoms were on average 10 years younger than those without - though it should also be mentioned that individuals reporting symptoms had an average age of 60. In terms of mental health, the study by Jichi Medical University staff found anxiety in 51.1% of respondents from the Ako region, and 41.7% in Tsubota. Though, given that they had been made refugees, had damage to their homes, and been left to rebuild their community while aging and living around a volcano… I can’t say I’m surprised. The inhabitants continued having to carry gas masks at all times up to at least 2016, according to online publication Yabai - though as per Miyakejima’s website, sulfur dioxide levels have since dropped to a level where it is no longer required. Though, it is still recommended for those sensitive to volcanic gas. Life certainly hasn’t been easy for those from Miyakejima. Between having to be evacuated, having their industries damaged, dealing with an aging and shrinking population and having to deal with the constant stress of toxic volcanic gases, there are a lot of things to get stressed about. However, a surprising new industry emerged to help the island recover—tourism. In fact, according to NASA in 2015, Miyakejima’s main industries were fishing, farming, and tourism. Grill: Even though there was an active volcano? Brew: Partially because of it. In addition to its beaches, hiking trails, and bird watching spots, Miyakejima has guided sightseeing tours in the abandoned parts of the island, with gas masks available at the ferry to the island and tourist spots. In fact, volcano tourism seems to be a common trend. After the volcanic eruption in Iceland, in the face of an economic downturn, the country actually managed to beat their projections by 43%, making 184.8 million USD in tourism revenue. By 2017, tourists outnumbered residents of Iceland seven to one. These days, when even Miyakejima has been hit with Covid-19, it’s hard to say what the future has in store. But if these volcanic tales have anything to teach us, even when the smoke is thickest, there are still ways to breathe easy.
