Air pollution by NO2 and PM2.5 explains COVID-19 infection severity by overexpression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in respiratory cells: a review
Abstract:Many major cities that witnessed heavy air pollution by nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) and particulate matter (PM) have experienced a high rate of infection and severity of the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19). This phenomenon could be explained by the overexpression of the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) on epithelial cell surfaces of the respiratory tract. Indeed, ACE-2 is a receptor for coronaviruses including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 and 2 (SARS-CoV), and ACE-2 is overexp… Show more
“…The global outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is rapidly sweeping across the world, which has caused over 46.5 million confirmed cases including more than 1.2 million deaths as of November 3, 2020 (WHO 2020a). The pandemic has impacts on numerous aspects of the natural environment and human society, such as air quality (Wang et al 2020a;Paital and Agrawal 2020), human behaviors Sun and Han 2020;Wang et al 2020b), and vaccine acceptance (Dai et al 2020). Particularly, the ongoing pandemic is posing significant challenges to infrastructures, including sanitation facilities, especially in developing communities (Sun and Han 2020;Usman et al 2020).…”
The novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 has infected over 46 million people in 219 countries and territories. Following evidence of viral loadings and infectivity of feces of infected individuals, public health authorities have suggested to take precautions on the transmission of COVID-19 via fecal-associated routes. Recent discussions on fecal transmission of COVID-19 have mainly focused on municipal sewage. Yet, a widely neglected aspect in containing the virus is that a major part of the population in developing regions do not have access to private, clean sanitary facilities. Therefore, we hypothesize that open defecation and the prevalent use of squat toilets are additional risk factors in those communities. Here, we review fecal transmission of COVID-19, the practices of open defecation, and the resultant routes of transmission of fecal pathogens. Also, we highlight the open design of common squat toilets and the potential exposure to fecal droplets and residues. We observed that at least 20 countries reporting more than 10,000 confirmed infections have 5-26% of their population practicing open defecation. We illustrate the potential routes of transmission of COVID-19 and other fecal pathogens via human feces in communities practicing open defecation. Here, poor hand hygiene, contaminated shoes and objects, mechanical vectors, and outdoor human activities can all contribute to fecal transmission. Other risk factors include squat pans with lidless designs and open flushing mechanisms, in-cubicle open waste bins, and the lack of water-sealing U-traps in squat toilets.
“…The global outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is rapidly sweeping across the world, which has caused over 46.5 million confirmed cases including more than 1.2 million deaths as of November 3, 2020 (WHO 2020a). The pandemic has impacts on numerous aspects of the natural environment and human society, such as air quality (Wang et al 2020a;Paital and Agrawal 2020), human behaviors Sun and Han 2020;Wang et al 2020b), and vaccine acceptance (Dai et al 2020). Particularly, the ongoing pandemic is posing significant challenges to infrastructures, including sanitation facilities, especially in developing communities (Sun and Han 2020;Usman et al 2020).…”
The novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 has infected over 46 million people in 219 countries and territories. Following evidence of viral loadings and infectivity of feces of infected individuals, public health authorities have suggested to take precautions on the transmission of COVID-19 via fecal-associated routes. Recent discussions on fecal transmission of COVID-19 have mainly focused on municipal sewage. Yet, a widely neglected aspect in containing the virus is that a major part of the population in developing regions do not have access to private, clean sanitary facilities. Therefore, we hypothesize that open defecation and the prevalent use of squat toilets are additional risk factors in those communities. Here, we review fecal transmission of COVID-19, the practices of open defecation, and the resultant routes of transmission of fecal pathogens. Also, we highlight the open design of common squat toilets and the potential exposure to fecal droplets and residues. We observed that at least 20 countries reporting more than 10,000 confirmed infections have 5-26% of their population practicing open defecation. We illustrate the potential routes of transmission of COVID-19 and other fecal pathogens via human feces in communities practicing open defecation. Here, poor hand hygiene, contaminated shoes and objects, mechanical vectors, and outdoor human activities can all contribute to fecal transmission. Other risk factors include squat pans with lidless designs and open flushing mechanisms, in-cubicle open waste bins, and the lack of water-sealing U-traps in squat toilets.
“…Before scientists find a perfect cure for treating infections by the novel coronavirus, vaccinating the global population will be the keystone in the current battle against COVID-19 (Stern 2020;Williams et al 2020). The numerous challenges in the lab-to-jab process not only present a daunting task, but also provide an unprecedented opportunity to collaborating and finding innovative solutions, on a global scale and across different disciplines to increase the preparedness of our communities for future pandemics (Paital and Agrawal 2020;Roviello and Roviello 2020;Sharma et al 2020;Wang et al 2020d). Since epidemics and pandemics may emerge in a not too distant future, these experiences will become an important part of the legacy of the COVID-19 era.…”
Vaccinating the world population against the COVID-19 faces both classical challenges such as vaccine transport and new challenges such as public trust. Here, we detail issues and potential solutions that will require a world collaboration of public authorities, industries and scientists from both physical and social sciences.
“…Figure 1 b–g presents the most common situations during which transmission may occur via airborne or surface-mediated processes. The magnitude of virus transmission is controlled by environmental factors such as indoor or outdoor, ventilation, humidity, wind, temperature, density of population, and infectiousness of the infected person (Lacotte et al 2020 ; Paital et al 2020 ; Sharma et al 2020 ). Fig.…”
The coronavirus disease COVID-19 has spread throughout the world and has been declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11th, 2020. The COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). One possible mode of virus transmission is through surfaces in the healthcare settings. This paper reviews currently used disinfection strategies to control SARS-CoV-2 at the healthcare facilities. Chemical disinfectants include hypochlorite, peroxymonosulfate, alcohols, quaternary ammonium compounds, and hydrogen peroxide. Advanced strategies include no-touch techniques such as engineered antimicrobial surfaces and automated room disinfection systems using hydrogen peroxide vapor or ultraviolet light.
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