Disaster-Related Medical Geology Research: A Bibliometric Mapping of Geogenic Exposure Pathways and Earth-Health Integration (1980-2025)

Our plain-English summary of Disaster-Related Medical Geology Research: A Bibliometric Mapping of Geogenic Exposure Pathways and Earth-Health Integration (1980-2025), by S. Baler (GeoHealth, 2026).

The study

• Author: S. Baler
• Journal: GeoHealth
• Published: 2026;10(7):e2026GH001865
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Medical geology (MG) examines the interactions between geological materials, environmental processes, and human health, with particular importance in disaster-prone regions, where rapid geological changes can abruptly intensify geogenic exposures and necessitate immediate public health responses. Geological events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and dust storms can mobilize hazardous geogenic materials, enhancing atmospheric dispersion and inhalation exposure. Although the relevance of disaster-driven geogenic hazards is increasingly recognized, quantitative evidence of the thematic transition from mineral-pathology to integrated exposure science remains limited. This study presents a bibliometric science-mapping analysis of disaster-related MG research using 64 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (1980-2025). Using keyword co-occurrence networks, temporal trend analysis, and conceptual structure mapping, the field's intellectual organization, thematic development, and global collaboration patterns were examined. The results indicate that the literature is structured around three major thematic domains: (a) naturally occurring fibrous minerals and associated disease outcomes; (b) disaster-triggered exposure pathways; and (c) environmental particulates and population-level health impacts. While mineral-specific diseases such as mesothelioma remain central, publications from 2022 to 2025 show a clear shift toward exposure-oriented frameworks, with "exposure" emerging as the most frequent Keywords Plus term (n = 6). This transition is particularly evident in temporal overlay visualizations and multiple correspondence analysis conceptual maps. Overall, disaster-related MG research has evolved from a predominantly disease-centered perspective toward an integrated exposure science positioned at the interface of geosciences, atmospheric processes, and public health. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating geogenic exposure metrics into disaster risk reduction and environmental health governance.

© 2026 The Author(s). GeoHealth published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Geophysical Union.

In plain English

This was a bibliometric study. It analyzed published papers, not people: it examined no patients and measured no exposures or disease rates. The author searched the Web of Science Core Collection for papers that combined three sets of terms: asbestos, silica, mineral dust or geogenic materials; inhalation, respiratory or lung disease, or mesothelioma; and earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity or dust storms. After screening, 64 English-language articles and reviews from the early 1980s to 2025 were analyzed using keyword counts, keyword networks and mapping methods. Erionite, asbestos and mesothelioma were the most frequent author keywords, and asbestos had the highest total link strength in the keyword network. The author identified three themes: geological fibers and disease, disaster-triggered exposure pathways, and environmental particulates and public health. Among 19 publications from 2022 to 2025, 'exposure' was the most frequent indexing keyword (6 occurrences). Italy produced the most publications. The author concluded that the field is moving from a mineral-centered focus toward exposure science. The author noted that only one database and only English-language papers were used, and that keyword counts do not capture study quality or causal inference.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: descriptive bibliometric (science-mapping) analysis of published literature, with a short narrative synthesis of 2022 to 2025 publications; not a study of human subjects
• Who was studied: 64 English-language publications (articles and reviews) indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, spanning the early 1980s to 2025, selected from an initial search of 79 records
• Exposure: Publications were selected by search terms: asbestos, silica, mineral dust or geogenic materials, combined with inhalation, respiratory or lung disease, or mesothelioma, and with earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity or dust storms. No exposure was measured.
• Main results:
  • Among author keywords across the 64 publications, erionite, asbestos and mesothelioma were the most frequent terms
  • In the author-keyword network, asbestos had the highest total link strength (TLS = 50), followed by erionite (TLS = 49); earthquake had TLS = 16
  • Across the full data set, 'exposure' was the most frequent Keywords Plus (indexing) term (n = 17)
  • Three thematic clusters were identified: Geological Fibers and Disease Outcomes, Disaster-Triggered Exposure Pathways, and Environmental Particulates and Public Health
  • Among 19 publications from 2022 to 2025, 'exposure' (n = 6) was the most frequent Keywords Plus term
  • Annual publication output showed an average annual growth rate of 5.24%, with marked acceleration after 2012; the data set had an h-index of 22
  • Italy had the highest number of publications, followed by the United States and Japan
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that disaster-related medical geology research is evolving from a mineral-centered toxicological field toward an integrated exposure science spanning geosciences, atmospheric processes and public health.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Only Web of Science Core Collection publications were included; studies indexed only in databases such as Scopus or PubMed may have been missed
  • Bibliometric indicators such as keywords and citation counts do not capture methodological rigor or causal inference in individual studies
  • Restriction to English-language articles and reviews may introduce language and publication-type bias
  • The field continues to evolve, so later publications may change the picture

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pathology, Mesothelioma.

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