Energy poverty influences urban outdoor air pollution levels during COVID-19 lockdown in south-central Chile

Abstract

The effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on ambient air pollution levels in urban south-central Chile, where outdoor air pollution primarily originates indoors from wood burning for heating, may differ from trends in cities where transportation and industrial emission sources dominate. This quasi-experimental study compared hourly fine (PM 2.5 ) and coarse (PM 10 ) particulate matter measurements from six air monitors (three beta attenuation monitors; three low-cost sensors) in commercial and low/middle-income residential areas of Temuco, Chile in 2019 and 2020. During COVID-19 lockdown, average monthly ambient PM 2.5 concentrations in a commercial and middle-income residential neighborhood of Temuco were up to 50% higher (12 to 18 μg/m 3 ) and 59% higher (22 to 35 μg/m 3 ) than 2019 levels, respectively. Conversely, PM 2.5 levels decreased by up to 52% (43 to 21 μg/m 3 ) in low-income areas. The fine fraction of PM 10 in April 2020 was 48% higher than in April 2017-2019 (50% to 74%) in a commercial area. During COVID-19 lockdown, higher outdoor PM 2.5 pollution from wood heating existed in more affluent areas of Temuco, while PM 2.5 concentrations declined among poorer households refraining from wood heating. To reduce air pollution and energy poverty in south-central Chile, affordability of clean heating fuels (e.g. electricity) should be a policy priority.

Toward Sustainable Indoor Environments: Assessing the Impact of Thermal Insulation Measures on Air Quality in Buildings—A Case Study in Temuco, Chile

“…The records correspond to measurements taken in the year 2022, which were filtered for the two months with the lowest average temperatures in the year (June-July, respectively), as demonstrated in other studies [37,38], as these months have a higher concentration of air pollutants. Additionally, to gain even more detailed insight into indoor air variables, the three days with the lowest temperatures of the season were selected (15-17 July 2022).…”

Changes in air pollution, land surface temperature, and urban heat islands during the COVID-19 lockdown in three Chinese urban agglomerations

“…In contrast, the change in SO 2 was ambiguous ( Hidalgo García and Arco Díaz, 2022 ; Tyagi et al, 2021 ), and even the opposite trend in O 3 was observed ( Cao et al, 2022 ). However, the air quality in some economically underdeveloped areas has not been improved because of the COVID-19 lockdowns ( Mandal et al, 2022 ; Martinez-Soto et al, 2021 ).…”

The Impact of COVID-19 Related Changes on Air Quality in Birmingham, Alabama, United States

“…We assume that in cities that have relatively lower mean PM and NO 2 annual means, such as Birmingham during this period (which are in attainment to EPA standard levels—see Table 1 ), such significant changes may not be observed [ 39 ]. Studies have demonstrated that the contributing factors to air quality changes during the COVID-19 lockdowns are complex and vary depending on urban/commercial vs. rural neighborhoods, primary energy sources used (wood vs. coal) and influence of secondary pollutants, such as Ozone in some regions [ 43 , 44 , 45 ].…”