Research links air pollution and COVID-19 mortality
S. Himmelstein | April 08, 2020
Air quality has been implicated by researchers in Europe and the U.S. as a factor in mortality rates associated with COVID-19 in some areas. Chronic inflammatory disorders and other pre-existing conditions that exacerbate the risk of death from COVID-19 are also adversely impacted by long-term exposure to air pollution.
Harvard University researchers examined the potential link between long-term average exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and an increased risk of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., based on data from about 3,000 counties through April 4, 2020. Modeling analyses focused on county-level COVID-19 deaths as the outcome and county-level long-term average of PM2.5 as the exposure.
An increase of only 1 μg/m3 in PM2.5 was observed to be associated with a statistically significant 15% increase in the COVID-19 death rate. The indication that long-term exposure to air pollution increases vulnerability to experiencing the most severe COVID-19 outcomes is consistent with the known relationship between PM2.5 exposure and many of the cardiovascular and respiratory comorbidities that dramatically increase the risk of death in COVID-19 patients. A small increase in long-term exposure to PM2.5 leads to a large increase in COVID-19 death rates, with the magnitude of increase 20 times that observed for PM2.5 and all-cause mortality.
A similar study conducted by researchers from the University of Siena, Italy, and Aarhus University, Denmark, also points to high levels of air pollution in northern Italy as an agent in the high level of COVID-19 fatalities recorded in that area. Despite a recent drop in pollution levels stemming from restricted population mobility and commercial activity, the COVID-19 mortality rate is up to 12% in the northern part of Italy but only about 4.5% in the rest of the country.
The researchers analyzed data from the NASA Aura satellite, which has demonstrated very high levels of air pollution across the Lombardy and Emilia Romagna regions, and from the European Environment Agency Air Quality Index, which tracks particulate, ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide concentrations. When combined with a review of experimental and epidemiological studies, the research indicates that residents of areas with high levels of pollutant are more prone to develop chronic respiratory conditions and susceptible to infectious agents, such as the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19.
The findings should be used to inform policies that encourage populations with high pollution exposure to take extra precautions and to allocate extra resources to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes from COVID-19.
Secondary Smoke Time Bomb
This combined with this other study which quantifies secondary smoke contribution to PM2.5 exposure seems to me to be a powerful indictment of secondary smoke. Given this data, smoking in an HVAC zone where non-smokers might be either currently or within a short time is de-facto assault.
If you cannot even smell it, then it is worse, since it is also stealthy, cumulative, and delayed. You non-smokers are unawares contaminated over years, then a novel corona virus pops out and kills you. Smokers are hoards of anonymous binary time bombers whom you have nearly zero hope of even identifying and against whom you have nearly zero chance of recovering compensation for damages. Those double cross-terms are truly wicked.
Some smokers are too oblivious to understand this and others are just indifferent, evil addicts. It is enough to make an atheist hope to be wrong(God'll get you for that.) Believers in Karma might take solace in lung cancer but it is tardy, inconsistent retribution with slim hope of reforming any current perps. I identify this seminal malignancy in a likely futile hope that at least a few perps have the intellectual honesty to overcome their overwhelmingly-more- probable denial and defensiveness. And, of course, if you do not reform a preponderance of the perps you have probably had an undetectable effect. "Eyore's statement is genius, it is truly hopeless," muses my horse, Rosinante.
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thewildotter