IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v387y2025ics0277953625010299.html

Exploring the psychosocial impacts of the 2015 Aliso Canyon natural gas blowout: Tracing an ‘invisible’ disaster through a novel Disaster Invisibility Framework

Author

Listed:
  • Lynch, Kathleen A.
  • Loeb, Tamra
  • Gravereaux, Charles
  • Monte-Sano, Sydney
  • Hoang, Anh
  • Batteate, Christina
  • Liu, Honghu
  • Abramson, David M.
  • Eisenman, David P.

Abstract

Between October 2015–February 2016, the Aliso Canyon gas well in Los Angeles County leaked more than 100,000 metric tons of methane and ethane gas into the atmosphere, the largest uncontrolled release from a single underground gas storage facility in United States history. This event was an ‘invisible disaster’ both in terms of the physical nature of exposure (aerosolized natural gas) and collective recognition. This qualitative study aimed to identify and articulate the multiple ‘invisible’ dimensions of the Aliso Canyon blowout as a framework for understanding the disaster's long-term psychological, social, and community impacts.

Suggested Citation

  • Lynch, Kathleen A. & Loeb, Tamra & Gravereaux, Charles & Monte-Sano, Sydney & Hoang, Anh & Batteate, Christina & Liu, Honghu & Abramson, David M. & Eisenman, David P., 2025. "Exploring the psychosocial impacts of the 2015 Aliso Canyon natural gas blowout: Tracing an ‘invisible’ disaster through a novel Disaster Invisibility Framework," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 387(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:387:y:2025:i:c:s0277953625010299
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118698
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953625010299
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118698?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Misari Oe & Yui Takebayashi & Hideki Sato & Masaharu Maeda, 2021. "Mental Health Consequences of the Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima Nuclear Disasters: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-16, July.
    2. Paxson, Christina & Fussell, Elizabeth & Rhodes, Jean & Waters, Mary, 2012. "Five years later: Recovery from post traumatic stress and psychological distress among low-income mothers affected by Hurricane Katrina," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(2), pages 150-157.
    3. Tine Buffel & Liesbeth De Donder & Chris Phillipson & Nico De Witte & Sarah Dury & Dominique Vert�, 2014. "Place Attachment Among Older Adults Living in Four Communities in Flanders, Belgium," Housing Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(6), pages 800-822, September.
    4. Civelek, Yasin, 2023. "The effect of hurricanes on mental health over the long term," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    5. Choi, Anna & Kim, Pureum & Park, Abraham, 2023. "The effects of air quality on housing prices: Evidence from the Aliso Canyon gas leak," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    6. Parry, Luke & Radel, Claudia & Adamo, Susana B. & Clark, Nigel & Counterman, Miriam & Flores-Yeffal, Nadia & Pons, Diego & Romero-Lankao, Paty & Vargo, Jason, 2019. "The (in)visible health risks of climate change," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    7. Andrew M Parker & Melissa L. Finucane & Lynsay Ayer & Rajeev Ramchand & Vanessa Parks & Noreen Clancy, 2020. "Persistent Risk‐Related Worry as a Function of Recalled Exposure to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Prior Trauma," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(3), pages 624-637, March.
    8. Tim Slack & Vanessa Parks & Lynsay Ayer & Andrew M. Parker & Melissa L. Finucane & Rajeev Ramchand, 2020. "Natech or natural? An analysis of hazard perceptions, institutional trust, and future storm worry following Hurricane Harvey," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 102(3), pages 1207-1224, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sastry, Narayan & Gregory, Jesse, 2013. "The effect of Hurricane Katrina on the prevalence of health impairments and disability among adults in New Orleans: Differences by age, race, and sex," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 121-129.
    2. Shi Chen & Yi Sun & Bo Kyong Seo, 2022. "The Effects of Public Open Space on Older People’s Well-Being: From Neighborhood Social Cohesion to Place Dependence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-16, December.
    3. Tatyana Deryugina & David Molitor, 2020. "Does When You Die Depend on Where You Live? Evidence from Hurricane Katrina," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(11), pages 3602-3633, November.
    4. Yuya Kashiwazaki & Hitomi Matsunaga & Makiko Orita & Yasuyuki Taira & Keiko Oishi & Noboru Takamura, 2022. "Occupational Difficulties of Disaster-Affected Local Government Employees in the Long-Term Recovery Phase after the Fukushima Nuclear Accident: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Modeling Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-10, March.
    5. Tim Slack & Vanessa Parks & Lynsay Ayer & Andrew M. Parker & Melissa L. Finucane & Rajeev Ramchand, 2020. "Natech or natural? An analysis of hazard perceptions, institutional trust, and future storm worry following Hurricane Harvey," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 102(3), pages 1207-1224, July.
    6. Achyuta Adhvaryu & James Fenske & Anant Nyshadham, 2019. "Early Life Circumstance and Adult Mental Health," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 127(4), pages 1516-1549.
    7. Sarah R Lowe & Ethan J Raker & Mary C Waters & Jean E Rhodes, 2020. "Predisaster predictors of posttraumatic stress symptom trajectories: An analysis of low-income women in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(10), pages 1-19, October.
    8. Chan, Christian S. & Lowe, Sarah R. & Weber, Elyssa & Rhodes, Jean E., 2015. "The contribution of pre- and postdisaster social support to short- and long-term mental health after Hurricanes Katrina: A longitudinal study of low-income survivors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 38-43.
    9. Cristhian D. Prieto & Arthur Grimes & Ilan Noy, 2025. "The Effect of Cyclones on Workers’ Mental Health," CESifo Working Paper Series 12009, CESifo.
    10. Rocío Calvo & Mariana Arcaya & Christopher Baum & Sarah Lowe & Mary Waters, 2015. "Happily Ever After? Pre-and-Post Disaster Determinants of Happiness Among Survivors of Hurricane Katrina," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 427-442, April.
    11. Jurjonas, Matthew & Seekamp, Erin & Rivers, Louie & Cutts, Bethany, 2020. "Uncovering climate (in)justice with an adaptive capacity assessment: A multiple case study in rural coastal North Carolina," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    12. Johar, Meliyanni & Johnston, David W. & Shields, Michael A. & Siminski, Peter & Stavrunova, Olena, 2022. "The economic impacts of direct natural disaster exposure," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 26-39.
    13. Hanna Varjakoski & Samuli Koponen & Antti Kouvo & Elisa Tiilikainen, 2023. "Age Diversity in Neighborhoods—A Mixed-Methods Approach Examining Older Residents and Community Wellbeing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(16), pages 1-16, August.
    14. Civelek, Yasin, 2023. "The effect of hurricanes on mental health over the long term," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    15. Krzysztof Karbownik & Anthony Wray, 2019. "Long-Run Consequences of Exposure to Natural Disasters," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(3), pages 949-1007.
    16. Matsubayashi, Tetsuya & Sawada, Yasuyuki & Ueda, Michiko, 2013. "Natural disasters and suicide: Evidence from Japan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 126-133.
    17. Łaszkiewicz, Edyta & Kronenberg, Jakub & Marcińczak, Szymon, 2018. "Attached to or bound to a place? The impact of green space availability on residential duration: The environmental justice perspective," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 30(PB), pages 309-317.
    18. Patrícia F. Pinho & Rafaella Silvestrini & Martha Fellows & Letícia Perez & Ane Alencar & Carolina Guyot & Paulo Moutinho & David Lapola & Lindsay Stringer, 2025. "“Vulnerabilities and compound risks of escalating climate disasters in the Brazilian Amazon”," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-10, December.
    19. Morris, Katherine Ann & Deterding, Nicole M., 2016. "The emotional cost of distance: Geographic social network dispersion and post-traumatic stress among survivors of Hurricane Katrina," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 56-65.
    20. Li, Ang & Toll, Mathew & Martino, Erika & Wiesel, Ilan & Botha, Ferdi & Bentley, Rebecca, 2023. "Vulnerability and recovery: Long-term mental and physical health trajectories following climate-related disasters," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:387:y:2025:i:c:s0277953625010299. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.