Can atmospheric pollution be considered a co-factor in extremely high level of SARS-CoV-2 lethality in Northern Italy?

Conticini, Edoardo; Frediani, Bruno; Caro, Dario

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114465

Cited by 795 publications

(785 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

729

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…England, expanding previous evidence linking high mortality rates in Europe with increased toxic exposure to air pollutants 10,16 . In addition, a new study showed an association between fine particulate matter levels and COVID-19-related deaths in the US by demonstrating that 1 µg/m 3 increase in this particulate matter led to a 15% increase in COVID-19 death rates 7 .…”

Section: In This Study We Identified An Association Between Air Pollmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…This hypothesis is supported by observations that the geographical patterns of COVID-19 transmission and mortality among countries, and even among regions of the same country, closely align with local levels of air pollutants 10 . For example, increased contagiousness and COVID-19-related mortality in northern Italian regions, including Lombardia, Veneto and Emilia Romagna, have been correlated with high levels of air pollutants in these regions 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Links between air pollution and COVID-19 in England

Travaglio

Popovic

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

thought to have jumped species from another mammal to humans. This virus has caused a rapidly spreading global pandemic. To date, thousands of cases of COVID-19 have been reported in England, and over 18,000 patients have died. While there has been progress in managing this disease, it is not clear which factors, in addition to age, affect the severity and mortality of COVID-19. A recent analysis of COVID-19 in Italy identified links between air pollution and death rates. Here, we explored potential links between three major air pollutants related to fossil fuels and SARS-CoV-2 mortality in England. We compared current, SARS-CoV-2 cases and deaths recorded in public databases to region-level air pollution data monitored at over 120 sites across England. We found that the levels of some markers of poor air quality, nitrogen oxides and ozone, were associated with COVID-19 mortality in different English regions, after adjusting for population density. We conclude that the levels of some air pollutants are linked to COVID-19 cases and morbidity. We consider that our study provides a useful framework to guide health policies in countries affected by this pandemic.

show abstract

Section: In This Study We Identified An Association Between Air Pollmentioning

confidence: 62%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Links between air pollution and COVID-19 in England

Travaglio

Popovic

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There are certainly research needs in clinical medicine regarding therapeutic options for COVID-19 patients and regarding the development of vaccines. Likewise necessary in terms of individual but also public health interests are studies on individual predictors (genetics, life-style, and environment) of disease risk and prognosis [4,[11][12][13]. Most important for public health is a better understanding and a more precise count of the percentage of undetected COVID-19 cases, including the size, determinants, and its change over time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time Course of COVID-19 Cases in Austria

Moshammer

Poteser

Lemmerer

et al. 2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, which first appeared in China in late 2019, and reached pandemic distribution in early 2020. The first major outbreak in Europe occurred in Northern Italy where it spread to neighboring countries, notably to Austria, where skiing resorts served as a main transmission hub. Soon, the Austrian government introduced strict measures to curb the spread of the virus. Using publicly available data, we assessed the efficiency of the governmental measures. We assumed an average incubation period of one week and an average duration of infectivity of 10 days. One week after the introduction of strict measures, the increase in daily new cases was reversed, and the reproduction number dropped. The crude estimates tended to overestimate the reproduction rate in the early phase. Publicly available data provide a first estimate about the effectiveness of public health measures. However, more data are needed for an unbiased assessment.

show abstract

“…In addition, evaluation of co-exposures and mixtures have direct relevance. For example, air pollution influences many of the same health outcomes as SARS-CoV-2 and has been associated with higher COVID-19 mortality rates in recent studies [2,3]. A history of exposures to cardiopulmonary toxicants in the environment or workplace may also increase severity of health outcomes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%