Pollution increases the likelihood of dying from coronavirus
Since containment measures began to cope with the expansion of COVID-19, large cities around the world have begun to offer an unusual picture: as a result of the decline in road traffic, pollution has fallen to record levels. Cities such as Madrid and Barcelona are recording nitrogen dioxide values that, for the first time, are well below the limits set by the World Health Organization.
The problem is that, according to the European Public Health Alliance, this drop in air pollution comes late for many patients who are fighting the new coronavirus today. Chronic exposure to poor quality air facilitates the premature deterioration of the lungs and contributes to the development of various respiratory diseases.
In fact, a study conducted by Harvard University researchers reveals that coronavirus patients living in areas that had a high level of air pollution before the pandemic are more likely to die from the disease than those living in cleaner areas. It should be noted, however, that like almost all of the papers being published these days on SARS-CoV-2, the study has not yet passed the filter of peer review: it is currently pre-published on the MedRxiv open platform and has been submitted to the New England Journal of Medicine for review.
To reach their conclusions, the scientists analyzed more than a thousand airborne particle counters throughout the United States and, to avoid model bias, they also took into account other factors that influence the calculation of coronavirus mortality such as the number of hospital beds, the number of tests performed, the climate and several socioeconomic variables.
The results revealed that areas with higher levels of PM 2.5 are related to higher mortality rates. In fact, the increase of only 1 microgram per cubic meter (μg/m3) in the concentration of these particles in the air is associated with 15% more mortality from COVID-19. For example, if the concentration in the Manhattan area had been 1 μg/m3 lower in the last 20 years, 248 lives would have been saved at the current peak of the epidemic, according to the study.
Pollution kills
"Pollution is a serious health problem that causes 10,000 deaths a year in Spain," says Isabel Urrutia, a pulmonologist and coordinator of the Environmental Area of the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR). "Several Spanish cities often exceed the recommended levels for human health of different pollutants and particles. On days when this happens, hospital admissions, medical consultations and emergency care increase, especially for chronic respiratory patients: asthmatics and COPD patients", she concludes.
Many experts warn that the record drop in pollution experienced these days on the planet will be only a mirage if, when we return to normal, adequate measures are not taken to contain a possible rebound effect. "From SEPAR, while we continue to put all our efforts into the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in which we are involved in the front line, we want to remind you once again of the need to take measures to reduce pollution and improve the quality of the air around us", explains Carlos A. Jiménez-Ruiz, pulmonologist and President of SEPAR.
On the other hand, the authors of the work consider that this can be useful when planning the distribution of scarce resources such as respirators, these could be more necessary in the most populated and contaminated areas of the country.
Reference: Wu et al. 2020. Exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in the United States. medRxiv 2020.04.05.20054502
