Links between air pollution and COVID-19 in England

Abstract

In December 2019, a novel disease, coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), emerged in Wuhan, People’s Republic of China. COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) presumed to have jumped species from another mammal to humans. This virus has caused a rapidly spreading global pandemic. To date, over 300,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in England and over 40,000 patients have died. While progress has been achieved in managing this disease, the factors in addition to age that affect the severity and mortality of COVID-19 have not been clearly identified. Recent studies of COVID-19 in several countries identified links between air pollution and death rates. Here, we explored potential links between major fossil fuel-related air pollutants and SARS-CoV-2 mortality in England. We compared current SARS-CoV-2 cases and deaths from public databases to both regional and subregional air pollution data monitored at multiple sites across England. After controlling for population density, age and median income, we show positive relationships between air pollutant concentrations, particularly nitrogen oxides, and COVID-19 mortality and infectivity. Using detailed UK Biobank data, we further show that PM 2.5 was a major contributor to COVID-19 cases in England, as an increase of 1 m 3 in the long-term average of PM 2.5 was associated with a 12% increase in COVID-19 cases. The relationship between air pollution and COVID-19 withstands variations in the temporal scale of assessments (single-year vs 5-year average) and remains significant after adjusting for socioeconomic, demographic and health-related variables. We conclude that a small increase in air pollution leads to a large increase in the COVID-19 infectivity and mortality rate in England. This study provides a framework to guide both health and emissions policies in countries affected by this pandemic.

Farmers' awareness of eco‐efficiency and cleaner production as environmental responsibility: Lithuanian case

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“…The spread of coronavirus in 2019–2020 around the world greatly accelerated the questions of environmental responsibility by giving evidence on how the world suffers from pollution and how quickly it recovers after key polluters are stopped (Gatti, 2020; Gudi & Tiwari, 2020). There have also been studies attempting to explain how harmony among people and nature can be ensured (Travaglio, Popovic, Yu, Leal, & Martins, 2020) and how important is rethinking the issues of climate change in the context of the Green Deal (Elkerbout et al, 2020). In this context, the role of each operating unit, especially, farmers who are directly affecting the environment in their economic activity, becomes especially important.…”

Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases predict different COVID-19 outcomes, a UK Biobank study

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How human thermal plume influences near-human transport of respiratory droplets and airborne particles: a review

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