Air quality, health impacts and burden of disease due to air pollution (PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and O3): Application of AirQ+ model to the Camp de Tarragona County (Catalonia, Spain)
“…Similarly, Jiang et al (2020) also reported a negative correlation between exposure to O 3 and the incidence of COVID-19. In fact, the concentrations of NO 2 and O 3 usually correlate negatively ( Rovira et al, 2020 ; Munir et al, 2011 ). Fig.…”
The number of studies published on COVID-19 in recent months is certainly impressive. However, there are still important gaps to know a great number of characteristics of this disease. Among these, some potential ways of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 and the different reasons for the severity of the disease in different people. Various studies have suggested that certain air pollutants could be increasing the transmission of the coronavirus, as well as the risks of COVID-19 incidence and mortality. In the present preliminary case-study conducted in Tarragona Province (Catalonia, Spain), we studied the potential association of COVID-19 with PM
10
, NO
2
and O
3
, as well as the differences in the incidence and lethality of this disease. This Province is divided into two “health regions”: Camp de Tarragona, with an important industrial complex, and Terres de l’Ebre, with a great agricultural component. In spite of the notable limitations of the current study, our preliminary findings indicate that the industrialized/urban areas of Tarragona Province show a higher incidence and mortality of COVID-19 than the agricultural/rural zones. These – and previous – results would highlight the importance of conducting specific investigations focused on directly assessing whether air pollutants such as particulate matter can act as carriers of the SARS-CoV-2. If confirmed, the recommendation on keeping the “social distance” (1.5–2 m) might need to be adapted to this situation.
“…Similarly, Jiang et al (2020) also reported a negative correlation between exposure to O 3 and the incidence of COVID-19. In fact, the concentrations of NO 2 and O 3 usually correlate negatively ( Rovira et al, 2020 ; Munir et al, 2011 ). Fig.…”
The number of studies published on COVID-19 in recent months is certainly impressive. However, there are still important gaps to know a great number of characteristics of this disease. Among these, some potential ways of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 and the different reasons for the severity of the disease in different people. Various studies have suggested that certain air pollutants could be increasing the transmission of the coronavirus, as well as the risks of COVID-19 incidence and mortality. In the present preliminary case-study conducted in Tarragona Province (Catalonia, Spain), we studied the potential association of COVID-19 with PM
10
, NO
2
and O
3
, as well as the differences in the incidence and lethality of this disease. This Province is divided into two “health regions”: Camp de Tarragona, with an important industrial complex, and Terres de l’Ebre, with a great agricultural component. In spite of the notable limitations of the current study, our preliminary findings indicate that the industrialized/urban areas of Tarragona Province show a higher incidence and mortality of COVID-19 than the agricultural/rural zones. These – and previous – results would highlight the importance of conducting specific investigations focused on directly assessing whether air pollutants such as particulate matter can act as carriers of the SARS-CoV-2. If confirmed, the recommendation on keeping the “social distance” (1.5–2 m) might need to be adapted to this situation.
“…Air pollution (outdoor) causes 4.2 million deaths each year (WHO, 2020), principally in large cities, where the anthropogenic activities of industry and the energy sector along with vehicular traffic, are the greatest contributors of polluting gases ( Cai et al, 2020 ; Liu et al, 2019 ; Rovira et al, 2020 ). Of the most common atmospheric pollutants are particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), tropospheric ozone (O 3 ), carbon monoxide (CO) and sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) ( Burns et al, 2020 ).…”
The negative effects on human health, along with the fatalities caused by the new coronavirus, have led governments worldwide to take strict measures. However, a reduction in air pollution has been found in many regions on a global scale. This study is focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting on the air quality in Ecuador, one of the most alarming cases of COVID-19 contagion in Latin America, occupying the first place as regards deaths per capita. The spatio-temporal variations in NO
2
concentrations in 12 highly populated cities were evaluated by comparing the NO
2
tropospheric concentrations before (2019) and after (2020) the COVID-19 lockdown. The atmospheric data was collected from the TROPOMI on the Sentinel-5P satellite of the European Space Agency. A reduction in NO
2
concentrations (−13%) was observed as a consequence of the COVID-19 lockdown in Ecuador. However, this reduction occurred to the greatest extent in the cases of Guayaquil (−23.4%) and Quito (−22.4%), the two most highly populated cities. Linking NO
2
levels to confirmed cases/deaths of COVID-19, a strong correlation between air NO
2
concentrations and the cases/mortality caused by coronavirus (
r
= 0.91; p<0.001) was observed. This work highlights the crucial role played by air quality as regards human health.
“…Harmful air pollutants are also produced in environments that can be harmful to human health (2,3). Many epidemiological studies have ex-amined the effect of air pollution on human health (4)(5)(6). Amongst air pollutants, PM 2.5 has been identified as the most prevalent pollutant emitted from vehicles.…”
Background: Urban air pollution was known to be one of the most important environmental problems due to its serious impact on human and environmental health. Among air pollutants, PM2.5 was the most common pollutant emitted by vehicles and dust and had negative consequences for human health, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objectives: This study aimed to assess the change levels of PM2.5 pollutants and their effect on COPD outcomes in ten years (2008 - 2017) in Ahvaz. Methods: Data were taken from the Ahvaz Department of Environment (ADoE). Data validation was performed using WHO criteria. The average time of PM2.5 was computed, and its health effects were obtained by entering its annual data and population at risk, baseline incidence (BI), and relative risk index for COPD outcomes in AirQ + software. The PM2.5 concentration average in total time changes in Ahvaz city was higher than the standard concentration set by WHO. The AQI index indicated that the city of Ahvaz did not have a good day in total during the ten-year time. Results: The result of time changes and AQI index indicated that 2010 was the most polluted year with 47 unhealthy days and 27 dangerous days. Also, with the enhancement in the PM2.5 annual concentrations, the mortality attributed to this pollution has increased as a consequence of the COPD outcome. The highest and lowest average cases COPD were 24 people in 2010 and 18 people in 2014, respectively. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, the air quality of Ahvaz city was in an unfavorable condition in terms of PM2.5 pollutions and the authorities should take the necessary measures to control and reduce pollution in the metropolis of Ahvaz for PM2.5 and reduce the mortality for the COPD health outcome.
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