Air Pollution and COVID-19 Mortality in Brazil

Damasceno, Reizane Maria; Cicerelli, Rejane Ennes; Almeida, Tati de; Réquia, Weeberb J.

doi:10.3390/atmos14010005

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The slope (mortality rate/AOD) represents the exacerbated effect of aerosol on COVID-19 mortality rates. These results are also consistent with previous reports showing a direct relation between atmospheric aerosols and COVID-19-related deaths [22,32,39].…”

Section: Aod Dependency Of Covid-19 Variantssupporting

confidence: 93%

The Relation between Atmospheric Aerosol Concentration and SARS-CoV-2 Variants’ Infection and Mortality Rates in the United States: A Remote-Sensing Perspective

Elshorbany,

Mixson,

Marcum

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Numerous studies have highlighted the health benefits associated with reducing aerosol particles and other pollutants. Recent studies have shown a positive correlation between exposure to aerosol particles and COVID-19 cases. In this study, we investigate the relationship between aerosol particle concentration and COVID-19 variants’ infection and mortality rates. Remote-sensing data on aerosol optical depth (AOD), a surrogate for atmospheric aerosol levels, were collected and analyzed in three regions within the states of California, Illinois, and North and South Carolina. These regions were selected to reflect the variability in aerosol concentration and anomalies during the COVID-19 period (2020–2022) compared to a reference period (2010–2019). We found consistent positive linear correlations across most regions between COVID-19 mortality rates and AOD levels below 0.2. These correlations were found to be independent of the change in aerosol levels relative to the reference period. In North and South Carolina, the Delta variant was associated with not only a high mortality rate but also a steeper increase in mortality rate per AOD of 39.6 ± 1.5 (R2 = 0.87) compared to Alpha at 10.5 ± 0.3 (R2 = 0.85). However, due to the lower mortality rate of the Delta variant compared to the Alpha variant in Illinois, the Delta variant has a lower correlation slope of 28.3 ± 1 (R2 = 0.94) compared to the Alpha variant at 52.1 ± 1.8 (R2 = 0.78). No correlation between mortality rate and AOD was observed for the Omicron variants in any of the investigated regions except in California where a weak positive correlation was evident. Our findings establish a compelling link between aerosol concentrations and SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality. Our results underscore the urgent need for further research to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and broader implications, leading to more sustainable solutions to curb the airborne transmission of COVID-19 viruses and other viral infections in general.

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Section: Aod Dependency Of Covid-19 Variantssupporting

confidence: 93%

The Relation between Atmospheric Aerosol Concentration and SARS-CoV-2 Variants’ Infection and Mortality Rates in the United States: A Remote-Sensing Perspective

Elshorbany,

Mixson,

Marcum

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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“…This mean result is close to that of previous studies showing that a PM 2.5 increase of 1 µg•m −3 can lead to at least an increase of 11% in COVID-19 mortality in the United States [27]. Similar values were found in England [28], the Netherlands [29], Northern Italy [30], Brazil [31], and in a meta-analysis of 35 observational studies [32]. All these studies suggest that the relative effect of PM pollution on COVID-19 mortality is not country-dependent.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…The COVID-19 mortality increase of about 40 ± 20% per each 1 µg•m −3 PM 2.5 increase is strongly higher than the 10% value previously reported [26,[28][29][30][31][32] and can be explained by two different reasons. The first reason is that the mean value is dominated by the locations with high values, as for Hungary, although most of the locations remain in the 10-40% increase range.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 61%

Temporal Evolution of PM2.5 Levels and COVID-19 Mortality in Europe for the 2020–2022 Period

Renard,

Surcin,

Annesi-Maesano

et al. 2023

Atmosphere

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Air pollution has a strong impact on human health, from respiratory and severe pulmonary diseases to heart attack and cancer. During the 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, several peaks of mortality occurred, which could be related to particulate matter (PM) pollution events. The possible effects of PM (PM10 and PM2.5, with diameters less than 10 and 2.5 µm, respectively) on COVID-19 mortality have now been established. To better understand this relationship at the European level for the period 2020–2022, data from 16 representative locations in Europe (81 million people) with PM2.5 levels (µg·m−3) ranging from low to high values were analyzed using statistical methods. The analysis confirms a temporal relation between the peaks of PM2.5 exposure and COVID-19 mortality. The best correlation was obtained considering the history of exposure to PM2.5 pollution during a 2-month integration time coupled with a one-week delay for the COVID-19 mortality. Although the trend of COVID-19 mortality vs. PM2.5 levels varies among locations, the global trend was similar, giving an estimated mean value of a 40 ± 20% mortality increase per µg·m−3 PM2.5 increase. The stronger the positive (negative) gradient of the PM peak, the stronger the positive (negative) gradient of the COVID-19 mortality. These results indicate that a succession of PM pollution peaks could be more dangerous than permanent exposure to moderate pollution levels. Finally, PM number concentrations should be used in the future rather than the PM2.5 mass concentrations (µg·m−3), with the consideration of PM composition to better evaluate the effect of submicron particles on human health, particularly for other respiratory diseases. These results must be considered in the management of future pandemics.

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“…Previous research supports air pollution, weather patterns, and population density as crucial factors in COVID-19 spread and severity. Higher air pollution levels are linked to increased COVID-19 mortality rates in regions with higher poverty and socioeconomic inequality(20). The recent study in…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Geospatial analysis of Covid-19 mortality linked to environmental risk factors in Iran- 2019-2021

Kalankesh,

Golamnia,

Hajighasemkhani

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Objectives This study aims to investigate the impact of various demographic, environmental, and topographical factors on COVID-19 mortality rates in different geographical provinces of Iran. Methods The research utilized data from DATASUS (Ministry of Health), International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), WorldClimV1, Sentinel-5P TROPOMI-based datasets, Open Street Map (OSM), and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission satellite (SRTM) to gather mortality, demographic, environmental, and topographical data, evaluating them by sex, age group, and province. The analysis employed Geographic Information Systems methodology and logistic regression. Results Higher mortality rates were observed in the central and southern regions, with West Azerbaijan and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces showing elevated rates compared to their population sizes. Additionally, South Khorasan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Semnan, Bushehr, and Ilam provinces exhibited higher mortality ratios relative to mean temperature. The central and southern provinces displayed a higher ratio of air pollution concerning Covid-19 mortality, notably around Uremia Lake, showing a significant correlation. Logistic regression analysis revealed positive correlations of NO2 and O3 with Covid-19 mortality, while CO2 and SO2 showed negative correlations. Furthermore, population, population density, and area emerged as the most influential factors affecting the Covid-19 mortality rate. Conclusions The findings of this study offer valuable insights for policymakers and public health officials to develop targeted interventions for reducing the virus's impact in high-risk areas and enhancing healthcare resources and infrastructure in urban settings.

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Air Pollution and COVID-19 Mortality in Brazil

Cited by 4 publications

References 26 publications

The Relation between Atmospheric Aerosol Concentration and SARS-CoV-2 Variants’ Infection and Mortality Rates in the United States: A Remote-Sensing Perspective

The Relation between Atmospheric Aerosol Concentration and SARS-CoV-2 Variants’ Infection and Mortality Rates in the United States: A Remote-Sensing Perspective

Temporal Evolution of PM2.5 Levels and COVID-19 Mortality in Europe for the 2020–2022 Period

Geospatial analysis of Covid-19 mortality linked to environmental risk factors in Iran- 2019-2021

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