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Semczuk-Kaczmarek K, Rys-Czaporowska A, Sierdzinski J, Kaczmarek LD, Szymanski FM, Platek AE. Association between air pollution and COVID-19 mortality and morbidity. Intern Emerg Med 2022; 17:467-473. [PMID: 34637085 PMCID: PMC8505468 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-021-02834-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting the world unevenly. One of the highest numbers of cases were recorded in the most polluted regions worldwide. The risk factors for severe COVID-19 include diabetes, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases. It has been known that the same disease might be worsened by chronic exposure to air pollution. The study aimed to determine whether long-term average exposure to air pollution is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Poland. The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases and deaths for each voivodeship (the main administrative level of jurisdictions) in Poland were collected from March 4, 2020, to May 15, 2020. Based on the official data published by Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection voivodeship-level long-term exposure to main air pollution: PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, O3 (averaged from 2013 to 2018) was established. There were statistically significant correlation between COVID-19 cases (per 100,000 population) and annual average concentration of PM2.5 (R2 = 0.367, p = 0.016), PM10 (R2 = 0.415, p = 0.009), SO2 (R2 = 0.489, p = 0.003), and O3 (R2 = 0.537, p = 0.0018). Moreover, COVID-19 deaths (per 100,000 population) were associated with annual average concentration of PM2.5 (R2 = 0.290, p = 0.038), NO2 (R2 = 0.319, p = 0.028), O3 (R2 = 0.452, p = 0.006). The long-term exposure to air pollution, especially PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, O3 seems to play an essential role in COVID-19 prevalence and mortality. Long-term exposure to air pollution might increase the susceptibility to the infection, exacerbates the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections, and worsens the patients' prognosis. The study provides generalized and possible universal trends. Detailed analyzes of the phenomenon dedicated to a given region require taking into account data on comorbidities and socioeconomic variables as well as information about the long-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 cases and deaths at smaller administrative level of jurisdictions (community or at least district level).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Rys-Czaporowska
- 1st Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1A St., 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Janusz Sierdzinski
- Department of Medical Informatics and Telemedicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Lukasz Dominik Kaczmarek
- Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Filip Marcin Szymanski
- Departament of Civilization Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Edyta Platek
- Department of General and Experimental Pathology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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102
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Shukla S, Khan R, Saxena A, Sekar S, Ali EF, Shaheen SM. Appraisal of COVID-19 lockdown and unlocking effects on the air quality of North India. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 204:112107. [PMID: 34560058 PMCID: PMC8455374 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown supposedly provided a 'window' of reinstatement to natural resources including the air quality, but the scenario after the phased unlocking is yet to be explored. Consequently, here we evaluated the status of air quality during the 8th phase of unlocking of COVID-19 lockdown (January 2021) at three locations of North India. The first site (S1) was located at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-PPCB; the second site (S2) at Yamunapuram, Bulandshahr-UPPCB; and the third site (S3) at Okhla Phase-2, Delhi-DPCC. The levels of PM2.5 showed a significant increase of 525.2%, 281.2%, and 185.0% at sites S1, S2 and S3, respectively in the unlock 8 (January 2021), in comparison to its concentration in the lockdown phase. Coherently, the levels of PM10 also showed a prominent increase of 284.5%, 189.1%, and 103.9% at sites S3, S1, and S2, respectively during the unlock 8 as compared to its concentration in the lockdown phase. This rise in the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 could be primarily attributed to the use of biomass fuel, industrial and vehicular emissions, stubble burning considering the agricultural activities at sites S1 and S2. Site S3 is a major industrial hub and has the highest population density among all three sites. Consequently, the maximum increase (295.7%) in the NO2 levels during the unlock 8 was witnessed at site S3. The strong correlation between PM2.5, PM10, and CO, along with the PM2.5/PM10 ratio confirmed the similar origin of these pollutants at all the three sites. The improvements in the levels of air quality during the COVID-19 lockdown were major overtaken during the various phases of unlocking consequent to the initiation of anthropogenic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saurabh Shukla
- Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Technology, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Barabanki, 225003, UP, India.
| | - Ramsha Khan
- Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Technology, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Barabanki, 225003, UP, India.
| | - Abhishek Saxena
- Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Technology, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Barabanki, 225003, UP, India.
| | - Selvam Sekar
- Department of Geology, V.O. Chidambaram College, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Esmat F Ali
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Sabry M Shaheen
- University of Wuppertal, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water- and Waste-Management, Laboratory of Soil-and Groundwater-Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285, Wuppertal, Germany; King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment, and Arid Land Agriculture, Department of Arid Land Agriculture, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia; University of Kafrelsheikh, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil and Water Sciences, 33 516, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt.
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103
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Ali T, Abouleish M, Gawai R, Hamdan N, Elaksher A. Ammonium nitrate explosion at the main port in Beirut (Lebanon) and air pollution: an analysis of the spatiotemporal distribution of nitrogen dioxide. EURO-MEDITERRANEAN JOURNAL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRATION 2022; 7:21-27. [PMID: 35252547 PMCID: PMC8881550 DOI: 10.1007/s41207-022-00296-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
An explosion of the ammonium nitrate (AN) stored at Beirut Port devastated the city on Tuesday 4 August 2020. Such an explosion produces pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NO x ). The most common NO x is nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is present in the atmosphere due to natural and anthropogenic processes. The presence of NO2 is used as indicator of air pollution. However, the specific contribution of NO2 to air quality is uncertain due to the presence of other constituents, especially particulate matter (PM10). Research has shown that extended exposure to NO2 may result in serious health effects. This study investigated the impact of the explosion on NO2 levels in the atmosphere above Beirut and the surrounding area. NO2 data from the Sentinel-5P program were used to map the levels of NO2. Furthermore, ground-monitoring data were used to assess the levels of PM10 and ozone (O3) due to the evident association between these constituents and NO2. Results showed that NO2 levels were higher than before the blast. However, 7 days after the explosion, NO2 levels had returned to normal, while the levels of PM10 and O3 remained normal following the explosion. However, a slight increase in the daily average atmospheric pressure was noticed after the explosion, which was attributed to the decomposition of ammonium nitrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarig Ali
- Department of Civil Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohamed Abouleish
- Department Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Rahul Gawai
- GIS and Mapping Lab, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nasser Hamdan
- Department of Physics, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ahmed Elaksher
- College of Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM USA
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104
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Air Quality Analysis in Lima, Peru Using the NO2 Levels during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13030373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of the new COVID-19 virus in Peru forced the Peruvian government to take swift measures to stop its proliferation. Consequently, a state of emergency was declared, which included mandatory social isolation and quarantine. This action meant that people would transit only in emergency cases. In this context, this study’s objective is to analyze the air quality changes in terms of the capital city’s NO2 levels due to these government decisions using satellite imagery data obtained from the Sentinel-5P satellite. One critical problem is the lack of spatially distributed air quality data. The Peruvian Meteorological Service only monitors air quality in Lima, the capital city. In addition, the air quality ground stations are not always functioning. Thus, there is a need to find new reliable methods to complement the official data obtained. One method of doing so is the use of remote sensing products, although the accuracy and applicability are yet to be determined; therefore, this is the article’s focus. A temporal and spatial analysis was developed quantitatively and qualitatively to measure the levels of NO2 in eighteen regions of Lima to contrast the quarantine’s effect on polluting gas emission levels. The measurements are also compared with the official Peruvian data from ground sensors using Pearson correlation coefficients, thus, showing that Sentinel-5P data can be used for changes in the mean daily concentration of NO2. We also developed the first version of an open platform that converts the satellite data into a friendly format for visualization. The results show NO2 ambient concentration reductions compared to 2019 of between 60% and 40% in the first two weeks and between 50% and 25% in the following two weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown. However, this effect could not be observed two months after the start of the lockdown.
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105
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Camarillo-Escobedo R, Flores JL, Marin-Montoya P, García-Torales G, Camarillo-Escobedo JM. Smart Multi-Sensor System for Remote Air Quality Monitoring Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and LoRaWAN. SENSORS 2022; 22:s22051706. [PMID: 35270852 PMCID: PMC8914715 DOI: 10.3390/s22051706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Deaths caused by respiratory and cardiovascular diseases have increased by 10%. Every year, exposure to high levels of air pollution is the cause of 7 million premature deaths and the loss of healthy years of life. Air pollution is generally caused by the presence of CO, NO2, NH3, SO2, particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5, mainly emitted by economic activities in large metropolitan areas. The problem increases considerably in the absence of national regulations and the design, installation, and maintenance of an expensive air quality monitoring network. A smart multi-sensor system to monitor air quality is proposed in this work. The system uses an unmanned aerial vehicle and LoRa communication as an alternative for remote and in-situ atmospheric measurements. The instrumentation was integrated modularly as a node sensor to measure the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ammonia (NH3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and suspended particulate mass PM10 and PM2.5. The optimal design of the multi-sensor system has been developed under the following constraints: A low weight, compact design, and low power consumption. The integration of the multi-sensor device, UAV, and LoRa communications as a single system adds aeeded flexibility to currently fixed monitoring stations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Camarillo-Escobedo
- Mechanic and Mechatronics Department, National Technological Institute La Laguna, Blvd. Revolución & Calz. Cuauhtemoc S/N, Torreon 27000, Coahuila, Mexico; (R.C.-E.); (P.M.-M.)
- Translational Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Guadalajara, Av. Revolución #1500, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico;
| | - Jorge L. Flores
- Translational Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Guadalajara, Av. Revolución #1500, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico;
- Correspondence:
| | - Pedro Marin-Montoya
- Mechanic and Mechatronics Department, National Technological Institute La Laguna, Blvd. Revolución & Calz. Cuauhtemoc S/N, Torreon 27000, Coahuila, Mexico; (R.C.-E.); (P.M.-M.)
| | - Guillermo García-Torales
- Translational Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Guadalajara, Av. Revolución #1500, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico;
| | - Juana M. Camarillo-Escobedo
- Electric and Electronics Department, National Technological Institute La Laguna, Blvd. Revolución & Calz. Cuauhtemoc S/N, Torreon 27000, Coahuila, Mexico;
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106
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Aykaç N, Etiler N. COVID-19 mortality in Istanbul in association with air pollution and socioeconomic status: an ecological study. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:13700-13708. [PMID: 34590232 PMCID: PMC8480998 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16624-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
This study aims to reveal the relationship between the COVID-19 mortality indicators and socioeconomic status (SES) and air pollution. In this ecological study, the focus was put on the relationship between COVID-19 mortality and both air quality and socioeconomic status at the district level in Istanbul. The mortality variables of the study are the excess deaths due to the pandemic, the proportion of deaths due to the pandemic among all deaths, COVID-19 mortality rate (per 100,000), and the proportion of COVID-19 deaths among older people (above the age of 65). The daily air quality measurements of PM10, SO2, NO2, and NOx of the pre-pandemic term were included in the research to avoid bias due to decreasing traffic burden during the pandemic. Partial correlation was applied to analyze the relationship between air quality and mortality measures by controlling socioeconomic status, the percentage of the older population, and household size. Every 20% deterioration in the SES stratum has contributed to a 4% increase in excess mortality at the district level. The elderly population ratio of over 10% in the districts was found to increase the COVID-19 deaths in the total population by 35% and the deaths in the population over 65 years old by 3%. Average household size was correlated with COVID-19 deaths in the population over 65. A moderate correlation was found between the COVID-19 mortality rate per 100,000 population and PM10, SO2, and NO2 (r = 0.413, 0.421, and 0.431, respectively). Mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Istanbul is related to an interaction of socioeconomic characteristics and air pollution as an environmental issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilüfer Aykaç
- Pulmonary Medicine Academic Hospital, Nuhkuyusu Cad. No. 94, Bağlarbaşı/Üsküdar/İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Nilay Etiler
- Department of Public Health, Istanbul Okan University, Tuzla/İstanbul, Turkey
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107
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Li X, Lai W, Wan Q, Chen X. Role of professionalism in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Does a public health or medical background help? CHINA ECONOMIC REVIEW 2022; 71:101733. [PMID: 35058684 PMCID: PMC8702613 DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2021.101733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In response to the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there have been substantial variations in policy response and performance for disease control and prevention within and across nations. It remains unclear to what extent these variations may be explained by bureaucrats' professionalism, as measured by their educational background or work experience in public health or medicine. To investigate the effects of officials' professionalism on their response to and performance in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, we collect information from the résumés of government and Party officials in 294 Chinese cities, and integrate this information with other data sources, including weather conditions, city characteristics, COVID-19-related policy measures, and health outcomes. We show that, on average, cities whose top officials had public health or medical backgrounds (PHMBGs) had a significantly lower infection rate than cities whose top officials lacked such backgrounds. We test the mechanisms of these effects and find that cities whose officials had a PHMBG implemented community closure more rapidly than those lacked such backgrounds. Our findings highlight the importance of professionalism in combating the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xun Li
- School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, China
| | - Weizheng Lai
- Department of Economics, University of Maryland, United States of America
| | - Qianqian Wan
- School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, China
| | - Xi Chen
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, United States of America
- Department of Economics, Yale University, United States of America
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108
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Ravindra K, Singh T, Vardhan S, Shrivastava A, Singh S, Kumar P, Mor S. COVID-19 pandemic: What can we learn for better air quality and human health? J Infect Public Health 2022; 15:187-198. [PMID: 34979337 PMCID: PMC8642828 DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 lockdown resulted in improved air quality in many cities across the world. With the objective of what could be the new learning from the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns for better air quality and human health, a critical synthesis of the available evidence concerning air pollution reduction, the population at risk and natural versus anthropogenic emissions was conducted. Can the new societal norms adopted during pandemics, such as the use of face cover, awareness regarding respiratory hand hygiene, and physical distancing, help in reducing disease burden in the future? The use of masks will be more socially acceptable during the high air pollution episodes in lower and middle-income countries, which could help to reduce air pollution exposure. Although post-pandemic, some air pollution reduction strategies may be affected, such as car-pooling and the use of mass transit systems for commuting to avoid exposure to airborne infections like coronavirus. However, promoting non-motorized modes of transportation such as cycling and walking within cities as currently being enabled in Europe and other countries could overshadow such losses. This demand focus on increasing walkability in a town for all ages and populations, including for a differently-abled community. The study highlighted that for better health and sustainability there. is also a need to promote other measures such as work-from-home, technological infrastructure, the extension of smart cities, and the use of information technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaiwal Ravindra
- Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, 160012, India.
| | - Tanbir Singh
- Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Shikha Vardhan
- Centre for Environmental & Occupational Health, Climate Change & Health, National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi, 110054, India
| | - Aakash Shrivastava
- Centre for Environmental & Occupational Health, Climate Change & Health, National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi, 110054, India
| | - Sujeet Singh
- Centre for Environmental & Occupational Health, Climate Change & Health, National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi, 110054, India
| | - Prashant Kumar
- Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - Suman Mor
- Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
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109
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Di Natale C, Gros CP, Paolesse R. Corroles at work: a small macrocycle for great applications. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:1277-1335. [PMID: 35037929 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00662b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Corrole chemistry has witnessed an impressive boost in studies in the last 20 years, thanks to the possibility of preparing corrole derivatives by simple synthetic procedures. The investigation of a large number of corroles has highlighted some peculiar characteristics of these macrocycles, having features different from those of the parent porphyrins. With this progress in the elucidation of corrole properties, attention has been focused on the potential for the exploitation of corrole derivatives in different important application fields. In some areas, the potential of corroles has been studied in certain detail, for example, the use of corrole metal complexes as electrocatalysts for energy conversion. In some other areas, the field is still in its infancy, such as in the exploitation of corroles in solar cells. Herein, we report an overview of the different applications of corroles, focusing on the studies reported in the last five years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corrado Di Natale
- Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Viale del Politecnico, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Claude P Gros
- Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, ICMUB (UMR CNRS 6302), 9 Avenue Alain Savary, BP 47870, 21078 Dijon, Cedex, France.
| | - Roberto Paolesse
- Department of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy.
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110
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Singh A, Bartington SE, Song C, Ghaffarpasand O, Kraftl M, Shi Z, Pope FD, Stacey B, Hall J, Thomas GN, Bloss WJ, Leach FCP. Impacts of emergency health protection measures upon air quality, traffic and public health: evidence from Oxford, UK. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 293:118584. [PMID: 34843856 PMCID: PMC8624331 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Emergency responses to the COVID-19 pandemic led to major changes in travel behaviours and economic activities in 2020. Machine learning provides a reliable approach for assessing the contribution of these changes to air quality. This study investigates impacts of health protection measures upon air pollution and traffic emissions and estimates health and economic impacts arising from these changes during two national 'lockdown' periods in Oxford, UK. Air quality improvements were most marked during the first lockdown with reductions in observed NO2 concentrations of 38% (SD ± 24.0%) at roadside and 17% (SD ± 5.4%) at urban background locations. Observed changes in PM2.5, PM10 and O3 concentrations were not significant during first or second lockdown. Deweathering and detrending analyses revealed a 22% (SD ± 4.4%) reduction in roadside NO2 and 2% (SD ± 7.1%) at urban background with no significant changes in the second lockdown. Deweathered-detrended PM2.5 and O3 concentration changes were not significant, but PM10 increased in the second lockdown only. City centre traffic volume reduced by 69% and 38% in the first and second lockdown periods. Buses and passenger cars were the major contributors to NO2 emissions, with relative reductions of 56% and 77% respectively during the first lockdown, and less pronounced changes in the second lockdown. While car and bus NO2 emissions decreased during both lockdown periods, the overall contribution from buses increased relative to cars in the second lockdown. Sustained NO2 emissions reduction consistent with the first lockdown could prevent 48 lost life-years among the city population, with economic benefits of up to £2.5 million. Our findings highlight the critical importance of decoupling emissions changes from meteorological influences to avoid overestimation of lockdown impacts and indicate targeted emissions control measures will be the most effective strategy for achieving air quality and public health benefits in this setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajit Singh
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK; Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Suzanne E Bartington
- Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Congbo Song
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Omid Ghaffarpasand
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Martin Kraftl
- Oxfordshire County Council, County Hall, New Road, Oxford, OX1 1ND, UK
| | - Zongbo Shi
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Francis D Pope
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Brian Stacey
- Ricardo Energy & Environment, Gemini Building, Fermi Avenue, Harwell, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QR, UK
| | - James Hall
- Health Economics Unit, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - G Neil Thomas
- Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - William J Bloss
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Felix C P Leach
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ, UK
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111
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Assessment of COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on the Air Quality in Eastern Spain: PM and BTX in Urban, Suburban and Rural Sites Exposed to Different Emissions. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13010097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread globally, and severe measures to control it were implemented. This study investigates the impact of the lockdown on the air quality of three provinces in the Valencia region, eastern Spain, in the years 2015–2020, focusing on particulate matter (PM). A thorough statistical analysis using different approaches is conducted. Hourly patterns are also assessed. In addition, the role of meteorological parameters on PM is explored. The results indicate an overall PM10 reduction of 16.5% when comparing the lockdown in 2020 and the 2015–2019 period, while PM2.5 increased by 3.1%. As expected, urban zones experienced higher reductions than suburban zones, which experienced a PM concentration increase. The impact of the drastic drops of benzene, toluene and xylene (77.4%, 58.0% and 61.8%, respectively) on the PM values observed in urban sites is discussed. Our study provides insights on the effect of activity changes over a wide region covering a variety of air quality stations, urban, suburban and rural, and different emission types. The results of this work are a valuable reference and suggest the need for considering different factors when establishing scientific air pollution control strategies.
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112
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The Ecosystem Services and Green Infrastructure: A Systematic Review and the Gap of Economic Valuation. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14010517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the trends at the intersection of studies made on green infrastructure and ecosystem services, which have frequently become preferred in establishing urban−green space relationships in global research. Green-related concepts have frequently been used from past to present in order to neutralise the increasing pressures on urban dynamics resulting from rapid urbanisation. Green corridor, green belt, green structure, and green finger/hand concepts have been used to provide recreational opportunities, protect nature, and keep urban sprawl under control. For the last decade, however, in addition to the traditional green concepts, green infrastructure (GI) and ecosystem services (ES) have been preferred in contemporary urban planning, as they enable the integration of the ecological concerns of the landscape and the socio-political perspective. The aim of this study is to detect the trends of the green infrastructure and ecosystem services association, and to reveal these trends in the common area with the bibliometric mapping method. The economic concept and its analysing use at the intersection of green infrastructure and ecosystem services were explored with VOSviewer using the Scopus® database. Furthermore, the number of documents, which initially began with around 39,719 studies, was reduced by filtering through systematic reviews, to only three documents that met the economic valuation criteria. In this way, a lack of economic analyses, creating a serious research gap within the framework of green infrastructure and ecosystem services, was quantitatively determined.
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113
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Scalsky RJ, Chen YJ, Ying Z, Perry JA, Hong CC. The Social and Natural Environment's Impact on SARS-CoV-2 Infections in the UK Biobank. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19010533. [PMID: 35010792 PMCID: PMC8744630 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic with considerable impact. Studies have examined the influence of socioeconomic status and air pollution on COVID-19 risk but in low detail. This study seeks to further elucidate the nuances of socioeconomic status, as defined by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), air pollution, and their relationship. We examined the effect of IMD and air pollution on the likelihood of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 among 66,732 UKB participants tested for SARS-CoV-2 from 16 March 2020 through 16 March 2021. Logistic regression was performed controlling for age, sex, ancestry and IMD or air pollution in the respective models. IMD and its sub-scores were significantly associated with increased risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. All particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels were associated with increased likelihood of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. Measures of green space and natural environment around participants' homes were associated with reduced likelihood of SARS-CoV-2. Socioeconomic status and air pollution have independent effects on the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. Green space and natural environment space in the proximity of people's homes may mediate the effect of air pollution on the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J. Scalsky
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA;
| | - Yi-Ju Chen
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; (Y.-J.C.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Zhekang Ying
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; (Y.-J.C.); (Z.Y.)
| | - James A. Perry
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; (Y.-J.C.); (Z.Y.)
- Correspondence: (J.A.P.); (C.C.H.)
| | - Charles C. Hong
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; (Y.-J.C.); (Z.Y.)
- Correspondence: (J.A.P.); (C.C.H.)
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114
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Marwah M, Agrawala PK. COVID-19 lockdown and environmental pollution: an Indian multi-state investigation. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:49. [PMID: 34978634 PMCID: PMC8721483 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09693-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Originating from China, COVID-19 became the first-ever coronavirus pandemic, wreaking havoc in 218 nations. The lack of a potential treatment exacerbated by the inability of the healthcare infrastructure to contain the viral trajectory led to a worldwide lockdown. The anthropogenic halt presented an unprecedented background to quantify the effect of the anthroposphere on environmental pollution. Consequently, we analyzed the variations in the air (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2) and water pollutants (BOD, COD, DO, coliform) using real-time monitoring data in the majorly hit Indian metropolitan states during the lockdown in contrast to 2019 levels. The overall AQI (air quality index) de-escalated by -31.35%, -34.35%, -32.63%, -29.25% in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Karnataka, respectively, from the 2019 levels. The daily concentrations of NO2, PM2.5, and PM10 plunged tremendously. The exact pre-disposing factors responsible for higher COVID-19 transmission in some geographical centers remain elusive. Investigations have corroborated putative links between air pollutants and COVID-19 mortalities. Therefore, we further mapped PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 to co-relate with COVID-19 infectivity and mortality across the study states. Significant (P < 0.001) positive correlation between COVID-19 transmission was established for all pollutants with maximum co-relation with AQI followed by NO2. River Ganga water in Uttarakhand was deemed "fit for drinking" for the first time in two decades. An aggregate of -71.94, -61.32, and -77.94 decrease in BOD, COD, total coliform levels, and an 11.75 rise in the average DO levels from 2019 data. This study will better assist the future framework of health and environment restoration policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansi Marwah
- University School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, India
- Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, DRDO, Brig SK Mazumdar Marg, Timarpur, Delhi, 110054, India
| | - Paban K Agrawala
- Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, DRDO, Brig SK Mazumdar Marg, Timarpur, Delhi, 110054, India.
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Air quality during COVID-19 lockdown and its implication toward sustainable development goals. COVID-19 AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS 2022. [PMCID: PMC9335066 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-91307-2.00008-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Air pollution is directly as well as indirectly linked with several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Hence, focused efforts and strategies toward improving the air quality can lead to direct reduction in the adverse impacts on human health and our cities and setting climate mitigation targets. The worldwide outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has forced various governments around the world to suspend nonessential activities due to the unavailability of the vaccine. This unprecedented lockdown led to significant decline in major criteria air pollutants—PM2.5, PM10, CO, and NO2—with more than 50% decline in several cities across the world. However, SO2 did not change much over some regions, while O3 has shown some increase. The majority of these changes are well supported by the reduced pollutant emissions, primarily from vehicular sources in urban areas. A slight decline has also been observed in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the lockdowns. The lockdown illustrates the need for a potential shift of anthropogenic activities toward a more sustainable lifestyle for ameliorating air quality and thus paving the pathway to achieve SDGs. The COVID-19-induced lockdown scenario should be exploited to understand future measures to improve air quality and mitigate the adverse health and climate effects. This chapter explores the impact of the national lockdowns on urban air quality across the globe. Learnings from this natural intervention and future policy implications toward improving air quality are further discussed.
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Nirmalkumar K, Sivasankar V. Sanitation and hand washing behavior of urban slum dwellers in Vellore Corporation of Tamil Nadu, India: during coronavirus disease. MGM JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.4103/mgmj.mgmj_235_22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
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117
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The effects of air pollution, meteorological parameters, and climate change on COVID-19 comorbidity and health disparities: A systematic review. ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY AND ECOTOXICOLOGY 2022; 4. [PMCID: PMC9568272 DOI: 10.1016/j.enceco.2022.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Air pollutants, especially particulate matter, and other meteorological factors serve as important carriers of infectious microbes and play a critical role in the spread of disease. However, there remains uncertainty about the relationship among particulate matter, other air pollutants, meteorological conditions and climate change and the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), hereafter referred to as COVID-19. A systematic review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines to identify the relationship between air quality, meteorological conditions and climate change, and COVID-19 risk and outcomes, host related factors, co-morbidities and disparities. Out of a total of 170,296 scientific publications screened, 63 studies were identified that focused on the relationship between air pollutants and COVID-19. Additionally, the contribution of host related-factors, co-morbidities, and health disparities was discussed. This review found a preponderance of evidence of a positive relationship between PM2.5, other air pollutants, and meteorological conditions and climate change on COVID-19 risk and outcomes. The effects of PM2.5, air pollutants, and meteorological conditions on COVID-19 mortalities were most commonly experienced by socially disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. Results however, were not entirely consistent, and varied by geographic region and study. Opportunities for using data to guide local response to COVID-19 are identified.
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Rugani B, Conticini E, Frediani B, Caro D. Decrease in life expectancy due to COVID-19 disease not offset by reduced environmental impacts associated with lockdowns in Italy. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 292:118224. [PMID: 34600065 PMCID: PMC8480154 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The consequence of the lockdowns implemented to address the COVID-19 pandemic on human health damage due to air pollution and other environmental issues must be better understood. This paper analyses the effect of reducing energy demand on the evolution of environmental impacts during the occurrence of 2020-lockdown periods in Italy, with a specific focus on life expectancy. An energy metabolism analysis is conducted based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of all monthly energy consumptions, by sector, category and province area in Italy between January 2015 to December 2020. Results show a general decrease (by ∼5% on average) of the LCA midpoint impact categories (global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, fine particulate matter formation, etc.) over the entire year 2020 when compared to past years. These avoided impacts, mainly due to reductions in fossil energy consumptions, are meaningful during the first lockdown phase between March and May 2020 (by ∼21% on average). Regarding the LCA endpoint damage on human health, ∼66 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) per 100,000 inhabitants are estimated to be saved. The analysis shows that the magnitude of the officially recorded casualties is substantially larger than the estimated gains in human lives due to the environmental impact reductions. Future research could therefore investigate the complex cause-effect relationships between the deaths occurred in 2020 imputed to COVID-19 disease and co-factors other than the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetto Rugani
- RDI Unit on Environmental Sustainability Assessment and Circularity (SUSTAIN), Environmental Research & Innovation (ERIN) Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41 Rue du Brill, 4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg.
| | - Edoardo Conticini
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Policlinico Le Scotte, viale Mario Bracci 1, Siena, Italy
| | - Bruno Frediani
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Policlinico Le Scotte, viale Mario Bracci 1, Siena, Italy
| | - Dario Caro
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde, Denmark
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Ghanim AAJ. Analyzing the severity of coronavirus infections in relation to air pollution: evidence-based study from Saudi Arabia. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:6267-6277. [PMID: 34448138 PMCID: PMC8390106 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15507-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 is one of the major pandemics in history. It has caused various health problems to majority of countries in the world. Several researchers have examined and developed studies regarding concerns on air pollution being considered a major risk factor causing respiratory infections. Such infections are carried out by microorganisms, thus further affecting the immune system. The present study involves the relationship between air pollutants and the total COVID-19 infections along with the estimation of death rates in several regions of Saudi Arabia. The major goal of this study comprises the analysis of the relationship between air pollutants concentration, such as PM10, NO2, CO, SO2, and O3, and the widespread outbreak of COVID-19. This scenario involves the transmission, number of patients, critical cases, and death rates. Results show that the estimation of recorded COVID-19 cases was in the most polluted regions; the mortality rate and critical cases were also more distinct in these regions than in other regions in Saudi Arabia. The finding of this study demonstrates a positive correlation between the mean values of PM10, NO2, CO, and SO2 pollutants. The results represent the significant relationship between air pollution resulting from a high concentration of NO2 and COVID-19 infections and deaths. In addition, a null hypothesis of the relation between other pollutants and COVID-19 infections cannot be rejected. The study also indicates a significant correlation between the means of NO2 and CO and the total number of critical cases. Negative correlations are obtained between the mean of O3 and the total number of cases, total deaths, and critical case per cumulative days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulnoor A J Ghanim
- Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Najran University, Najran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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120
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Cucciniello R, Raia L, Vasca E. Air quality evaluation during COVID-19 in Southern Italy: the case study of Avellino city. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 203:111803. [PMID: 34363800 PMCID: PMC8479540 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The present study relies on the air quality evaluation during COVID-19 pandemic in Avellino, described in the last years and for several consecutive years, among the worst Italian cities in this context. The main purpose of this manuscript was to investigate the effects of quarantine and lockdown measures on air pollution. The concentrations of the main atmospheric pollutants (Carbon monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Fine Particulate (PM2.5 and PM10), Benzene (C6H6) and Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were recorded during the period January-December 2020 using two stationary monitoring stations (AV1 and AV2) of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency (ARPAC). During the lockdown period (March 9-May 18, 2020), results indicated significant reductions only in the levels of CO, benzene and NO2, while for PM10 the limit of 50 μg m-3 was passed 8 times for AV1 and 13 times for AV2. The results showed the not predominant role of traffic on air quality in Avellino regards to PM levels and make it necessary a serious reflection about important and not extendable decisions to improve the air quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Cucciniello
- Department of Chemistry and Biology "Adolfo Zambelli", University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy.
| | - Letizia Raia
- Department of Chemistry and Biology "Adolfo Zambelli", University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Ermanno Vasca
- Department of Chemistry and Biology "Adolfo Zambelli", University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy
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121
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Benabed A, Boulbair A. PM10, PM2.5, PM1, and PM0.1 resuspension due to human walking. AIR QUALITY, ATMOSPHERE, & HEALTH 2022; 15:1547-1556. [PMID: 35463201 PMCID: PMC9015701 DOI: 10.1007/s11869-022-01201-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Indoor air quality has become a major concern in recent years due to the adverse effects of poor air quality, caused by the presence of several sources of pollutants, on the building occupants' health. Particle resuspension has been identified as a major indoor particle matter (PM) source in indoor environments. The present work investigated the human walking-induced PM resuspension in a full-scale laboratory experimental chamber. The PM mass concentration was monitored using a Miniwras Grimm counter. The floor of the test chamber was covered with a tufted synthetic carpet and uniformly loaded with neutralized alumina dust. Using the mass-based balance equation and the well-mixed condition hypothesis, resuspension rates were estimated after 10 min of walking activity. Results show that human walking significantly increases the indoor PM10, PM2.5, PM1, and PM0.1 concentrations. The average estimated PM10, PM2.5, PM1, and PM0.1 resuspension rates were (2.5 ± 0.6) × 10-1 h-1, (1.9 ± 0.5) × 10-2 h-1, (6.5 ± 0.3) × 10-3 h-1, and (4.3 ± 0.3) × 10-3 h-1, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Benabed
- Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, ESTACA, Paris-Saclay Campus, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France
| | - Amir Boulbair
- LAMIH, UMR 8201, Univ. Polytechnique Hauts-de-France, CNRS, F-59313 Valenciennes, France
- Av M. Crépeau, LaSIE, University of La Rochelle, 17042 La Rochelle, Cedex 01, France
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Zoran MA, Savastru RS, Savastru DM, Tautan MN, Baschir LA, Tenciu DV. Assessing the impact of air pollution and climate seasonality on COVID-19 multiwaves in Madrid, Spain. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 203:111849. [PMID: 34370990 PMCID: PMC8343379 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
While the COVID-19 pandemic is still in progress, being under the fifth COVID-19 wave in Madrid, over more than one year, Spain experienced a four wave pattern. The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 pathogens in Madrid metropolitan region was investigated from an urban context associated with seasonal variability of climate and air pollution drivers. Based on descriptive statistics and regression methods of in-situ and geospatial daily time series data, this study provides a comparative analysis between COVID-19 waves incidence and mortality cases in Madrid under different air quality and climate conditions. During analyzed period 1 January 2020-1 July 2021, for each of the four COVID-19 waves in Madrid were recorded anomalous anticyclonic synoptic meteorological patterns in the mid-troposphere and favorable stability conditions for COVID-19 disease fast spreading. As airborne microbial temporal pattern is most affected by seasonal changes, this paper found: 1) a significant negative correlation of air temperature, Planetary Boundary Layer height, and surface solar irradiance with daily new COVID-19 incidence and deaths; 2) a similar mutual seasonality with climate variables of the first and the fourth COVID-waves from spring seasons of 2020 and 2021 years. Such information may help the health decision makers and public plan for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Zoran
- IT Department, National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, Atomistilor Street 409, MG5, Magurele-Bucharest, 077125, Romania.
| | - Roxana S Savastru
- IT Department, National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, Atomistilor Street 409, MG5, Magurele-Bucharest, 077125, Romania
| | - Dan M Savastru
- IT Department, National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, Atomistilor Street 409, MG5, Magurele-Bucharest, 077125, Romania
| | - Marina N Tautan
- IT Department, National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, Atomistilor Street 409, MG5, Magurele-Bucharest, 077125, Romania
| | - Laurentiu A Baschir
- IT Department, National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, Atomistilor Street 409, MG5, Magurele-Bucharest, 077125, Romania
| | - Daniel V Tenciu
- IT Department, National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, Atomistilor Street 409, MG5, Magurele-Bucharest, 077125, Romania
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Noda J, Tomizawa S, Takahashi K, Morimoto K, Mitarai S. Air pollution and airborne infection with mycobacterial bioaerosols: a potential attribution of soot. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : IJEST 2022; 19:717-726. [PMID: 33643419 PMCID: PMC7897364 DOI: 10.1007/s13762-021-03203-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric pollutants are hypothesized to enhance the viability of airborne microbes by preventing them from degradation processes, thereby enhancing their atmospheric survival. In this study, Mycobacterium smegmatis is used as a model airborne bacteria, and different amounts of soot particles are employed as model air pollutants. The toxic effects of soot on aerosolized M. smegmatis are first evaluated and excluded by introducing them separately into a chamber, being sampled on a filter, and then cultured and counted. Secondly, the bacteria-soot mixture is exposed to UV with different durations and then cultured for bacterial viability evaluations. The results show that under UV exposure, the survival rates of the low-, medium-, and high-soot groups are 1.1 (±0.8) %, 70.9 (±4.3) %, and 61.0 (±17.6) %, respectively. This evidence significantly enhanced survival rates by soot at all UV exposures, though the combinations of UV exposure and soot amounts revealed a changing pattern of survival rates. The possible influence by direct and indirect effects of UV-damaging mechanisms is proposed. This study indicates the soot-induced survival rate enhancements of M. smegmatis under UV stress conditions, representing the possible relations between air pollution and the extended pathogenic viability and, therefore, increased airborne infection probability.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Noda
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Hokkaido Japan
| | - S. Tomizawa
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Hokkaido Japan
| | - K. Takahashi
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Hokkaido Japan
| | - K. Morimoto
- Division of Clinical Research, Fukujuji Hospital, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Mycobacterium Reference and Research, Research Institute of Tuberculosis Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan
| | - S. Mitarai
- Department of Mycobacterium Reference and Research, Research Institute of Tuberculosis Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan
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Kaviani Rad A, Zarei M, Pourghasemi HR, Tiefenbacher JP. The COVID-19 crisis and its consequences for global warming and climate change. COMPUTERS IN EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 2022. [PMCID: PMC9281557 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-89861-4.00006-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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125
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Huang H, Lin C, Liu X, Zhu L, Avellán-Llaguno RD, Lazo MML, Ai X, Huang Q. The impact of air pollution on COVID-19 pandemic varied within different cities in South America using different models. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:543-552. [PMID: 34331646 PMCID: PMC8325399 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15508-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
There is a rising concern that air pollution plays an important role in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the results were not consistent on the association between air pollution and the spread of COVID-19. In the study, air pollution data and the confirmed cases of COVID-19 were both gathered from five severe cities across three countries in South America. Daily real-time population regeneration (Rt) was calculated to assess the spread of COVID-19. Two frequently used models, generalized additive models (GAM) and multiple linear regression, were both used to explore the impact of environmental pollutants on the epidemic. Wide ranges of all six air pollutants were detected across the five cities. Spearman's correlation analysis confirmed the positive correlation within six pollutants. Rt value showed a gradual decline in all the five cities. Further analysis showed that the association between air pollution and COVID-19 varied across five cities. According to our research results, even for the same region, varied models gave inconsistent results. For example, in Sao Paulo, both models show SO2 and O3 are significant independent variables, however, the GAM model shows that PM10 has a nonlinear negative correlation with Rt, while PM10 has no significant correlation in the multiple linear model. Moreover, in the case of multiple regions, currently used models should be selected according to local conditions. Our results indicate that there is a significant relationship between air pollution and COVID-19 infection, which will help states, health practitioners, and policy makers in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in South America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haining Huang
- Center for Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment, Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China
| | - Congtian Lin
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, PR China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China
| | - Xiaobo Liu
- Center for Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment, Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China
| | - Liting Zhu
- Center for Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment, Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China
| | - Ricardo David Avellán-Llaguno
- Center for Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment, Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China
| | | | - Xiaoyan Ai
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Birth Defect for Prevention and Control, Jiangxi Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital, 318 Bayi Avenue, Nanchang, 330006, PR China.
| | - Qiansheng Huang
- Center for Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment, Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China.
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Fernández-Méndez C, Pathan S. Environmental stocks, CEO health risk and COVID-19. RESEARCH IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND FINANCE 2022; 59:101509. [PMID: 34522059 PMCID: PMC8428483 DOI: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2021.101509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we find that Australian firms with environmentally sustainable practices generated higher abnormal returns. Firms with CEOs who were exposed to significant health risks from COVID-19 experienced poorer stock market performance. Firms with low pre-COVID default risk and high pre-COVID liquidity performed better during the COVID-19 stock market crash. This research signifies the importance of environmental sustainability for Australian firms to endure pandemics such as COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shams Pathan
- School of Economics, Finance and Property, Curtin University, Australia
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127
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Acosta‐Ramírez C, Higham JE. Effects of meteorology and human‐mobility on UK's air quality during COVID‐19. METEOROLOGICAL APPLICATIONS 2022; 29:e2061. [PMCID: PMC9347540 DOI: 10.1002/met.2061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic have had profound positive and negative impacts on social and environmental indicators worldwide. For the first time, a scenario of a partial economic shutdown could be measured, and large tech companies published wide‐coverage mobility reports to quantify the impacts on social change with anonymized location data. During the COVID‐19 pandemic, the UK government has employed some of the strictest lockdown periods in the world, causing an immediate halt to travel and business activities. From these repeated lockdown periods, we have gained a snapshot of life without excessive human‐made pollution; this has allowed us to interrogate the interaction between meteorology and air quality with minimal anthropogenic input. Our findings show a warmer 2020 increased the UK's ozone levels by 9%, while reductions in human‐mobility reduced UK‐wide nitrogen dioxide levels by 25% in 2020, which have remained low during the first months of 2021 despite curtailing/ending of restrictions; and a decrease in particulate matter created by meteorological and human drivers. Regionally, London records the highest NO2 and O3 changes, −31% and 35%, respectively, linked to mobility reductions and meteorology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cammy Acosta‐Ramírez
- Department of Geography and PlanningSchool of Environmental Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Jonathan E. Higham
- Department of Geography and PlanningSchool of Environmental Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
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Saghazadeh A, Rezaei N. Evaluating COVID-19-Environment Fit. ACTA BIO-MEDICA : ATENEI PARMENSIS 2022; 93:e2022204. [PMID: 35546012 PMCID: PMC9171863 DOI: 10.23750/abm.v93i2.12161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Spring came and went; the COVID-19 pandemic is still an inhabitant of the world, and its tendency to infect individuals is preserved in numbers; so does the case fatality rate continues to increase. While a long list of facts provided by the clinical and medical sciences have remained unable to resolve the problem, recognizing environmental issues concerning COVID-19 resistance and adaptation might be a flash of lighting the nature of COVID-19 and its ideas of fitness. Here, we summarize the current state of the science of environment related to the causative pathogen of COVID-19, SARS-CoV2, as follows. SARS-CoV2 i. survives in water, ii. mainly spreads via the droplet route, and to a lesser extent, from touching contaminated surfaces, iii. transmission via droplets occurs within the interpersonal distance of two meters and beyond, iv. can more easily spread and cause more severe phenotypes of disease under higher-polluted, low-temperature, and low-humidity conditions, v. can spread under high-temperature conditions, and vi. transmission might be moderated by pollen-derived immune responses and lockdown-mediated air quality improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amene Saghazadeh
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children’s Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Expert Group (SRMEG), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Nima Rezaei
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children’s Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
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Morales JS, Valenzuela PL, Castillo-García A, Butragueño J, Jiménez-Pavón D, Carrera-Bastos P, Lucia A. The Exposome and Immune Health in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Nutrients 2021; 14:24. [PMID: 35010900 PMCID: PMC8746533 DOI: 10.3390/nu14010024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence supports the importance of lifestyle and environmental exposures-collectively referred to as the 'exposome'-for ensuring immune health. In this narrative review, we summarize and discuss the effects of the different exposome components (physical activity, body weight management, diet, sun exposure, stress, sleep and circadian rhythms, pollution, smoking, and gut microbiome) on immune function and inflammation, particularly in the context of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We highlight the potential role of 'exposome improvements' in the prevention-or amelioration, once established-of this disease as well as their effect on the response to vaccination. In light of the existing evidence, the promotion of a healthy exposome should be a cornerstone in the prevention and management of the COVID-19 pandemic and other eventual pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier S. Morales
- MOVE-IT Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, Universidad de Cádiz, 11519 Cadiz, Spain;
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Institute of Cádiz (INiBICA) Research Unit, Puerta del Mar University Hospital, University of Cádiz, 11009 Cadiz, Spain
| | - Pedro L. Valenzuela
- Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain; (P.L.V.); (A.L.)
- Physical Activity and Health Research Group (‘PaHerg’), Research Institute of the Hospital 12 de Octubre (‘imas12′), 28041 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Javier Butragueño
- LFE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | - David Jiménez-Pavón
- MOVE-IT Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, Universidad de Cádiz, 11519 Cadiz, Spain;
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Institute of Cádiz (INiBICA) Research Unit, Puerta del Mar University Hospital, University of Cádiz, 11009 Cadiz, Spain
- CIBER of Frailty and Healthy Aging (CIBERFES), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro Carrera-Bastos
- Centre for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Skane University Hospital, 205 02 Malmö, Sweden;
- Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Lucia
- Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain; (P.L.V.); (A.L.)
- Physical Activity and Health Research Group (‘PaHerg’), Research Institute of the Hospital 12 de Octubre (‘imas12′), 28041 Madrid, Spain
- CIBER of Frailty and Healthy Aging (CIBERFES), 28029 Madrid, Spain
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Konwar C, Asiimwe R, Inkster AM, Merrill SM, Negri GL, Aristizabal MJ, Rider CF, MacIsaac JL, Carlsten C, Kobor MS. Risk-focused differences in molecular processes implicated in SARS-CoV-2 infection: corollaries in DNA methylation and gene expression. Epigenetics Chromatin 2021; 14:54. [PMID: 34895312 PMCID: PMC8665859 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-021-00428-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the molecular basis of susceptibility factors to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a global health imperative. It is well-established that males are more likely to acquire SARS-CoV-2 infection and exhibit more severe outcomes. Similarly, exposure to air pollutants and pre-existing respiratory chronic conditions, such as asthma and chronic obstructive respiratory disease (COPD) confer an increased risk to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS We investigated molecular patterns associated with risk factors in 398 candidate genes relevant to COVID-19 biology. To accomplish this, we downloaded DNA methylation and gene expression data sets from publicly available repositories (GEO and GTEx Portal) and utilized data from an empirical controlled human exposure study conducted by our team. RESULTS First, we observed sex-biased DNA methylation patterns in autosomal immune genes, such as NLRP2, TLE1, GPX1, and ARRB2 (FDR < 0.05, magnitude of DNA methylation difference Δβ > 0.05). Second, our analysis on the X-linked genes identified sex associated DNA methylation profiles in genes, such as ACE2, CA5B, and HS6ST2 (FDR < 0.05, Δβ > 0.05). These associations were observed across multiple respiratory tissues (lung, nasal epithelia, airway epithelia, and bronchoalveolar lavage) and in whole blood. Some of these genes, such as NLRP2 and CA5B, also exhibited sex-biased gene expression patterns. In addition, we found differential DNA methylation patterns by COVID-19 status for genes, such as NLRP2 and ACE2 in an exploratory analysis of an empirical data set reporting on human COVID-9 infections. Third, we identified modest DNA methylation changes in CpGs associated with PRIM2 and TATDN1 (FDR < 0.1, Δβ > 0.05) in response to particle-depleted diesel exhaust in bronchoalveolar lavage. Finally, we captured a DNA methylation signature associated with COPD diagnosis in a gene involved in nicotine dependence (COMT) (FDR < 0.1, Δβ > 0.05). CONCLUSION Our findings on sex differences might be of clinical relevance given that they revealed molecular associations of sex-biased differences in COVID-19. Specifically, our results hinted at a potentially exaggerated immune response in males linked to autosomal genes, such as NLRP2. In contrast, our findings at X-linked loci such as ACE2 suggested a potentially distinct DNA methylation pattern in females that may interact with its mRNA expression and inactivation status. We also found tissue-specific DNA methylation differences in response to particulate exposure potentially capturing a nitrogen dioxide (NO2) effect-a contributor to COVID-19 susceptibility. While we identified a molecular signature associated with COPD, all COPD-affected individuals were smokers, which may either reflect an association with the disease, smoking, or may highlight a compounded effect of these two risk factors in COVID-19. Overall, our findings point towards a molecular basis of variation in susceptibility factors that may partly explain disparities in the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaini Konwar
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, V6H 0B3, Canada
| | - Rebecca Asiimwe
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, V6H 0B3, Canada
| | - Amy M Inkster
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- The Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Sarah M Merrill
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, V6H 0B3, Canada
| | - Gian L Negri
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1L3, Canada
| | - Maria J Aristizabal
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, V6H 0B3, Canada
- The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
- Department of Biology, Queen' University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
- Program in Child and Brain Development, CIFAR, MaRS Centre, 661 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Christopher F Rider
- The Department of Respiratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Julie L MacIsaac
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, V6H 0B3, Canada
| | - Christopher Carlsten
- The Department of Respiratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, V6H 0B3, Canada.
- Program in Child and Brain Development, CIFAR, MaRS Centre, 661 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1M1, Canada.
- The Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
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131
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Gupta S, Rouse BT, Sarangi PP. Did Climate Change Influence the Emergence, Transmission, and Expression of the COVID-19 Pandemic? Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8:769208. [PMID: 34957147 PMCID: PMC8694059 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.769208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The human race has survived many epidemics and pandemics that have emerged and reemerged throughout history. The novel coronavirus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 is the latest pandemic and this has caused major health and socioeconomic problems in almost all communities of the world. The origin of the virus is still in dispute but most likely, the virus emerged from the bats and also may involve an intermediate host before affecting humans. Several other factors also may have affected the emergence and outcome of the infection but in this review, we make a case for a possible role of climate change. The rise in industrialization-related human activities has created a marked imbalance in the homeostasis of environmental factors such as temperature and other weather and these might even have imposed conditions for the emergence of future coronavirus cycles. An attempt is made in this review to explore the effect of ongoing climate changes and discuss if these changes had a role in facilitating the emergence, transmission, and even the expression of the COVID-19 pandemic. We surmise that pandemics will be more frequent in the future and more severely impactful unless climate changes are mitigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saloni Gupta
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, India
| | - Barry T. Rouse
- Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Pranita P. Sarangi
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, India
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Impacts of short-term lockdown during COVID-19 on air quality in Egypt. THE EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING AND SPACE SCIENCES 2021; 24. [PMCID: PMC7577652 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrs.2020.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 is a pandemic disease that is actively spread over the globe in a few months. Most of the Nations took the appropriate measures including lockdown to reduce the risk of spreading and safe human health and life. Egypt took the measures of partial and complete lockdown from 15th March till 30th June 2020. Such short-term lockdown has had a significant impact on the reduction of emissions from transportation, industrial and human activities. This research used multi-data sensors from space to map the changes of air quality over Egypt in the first 6 months from January to June 2020 due to the lockdown and compare with previous years of 2018 and 2019. It is clearly observed that the air quality over the whole country is improved as a result of reducing pollutants emissions, with NO2 reduced by 45.5%, CO emissions reduced by 46.23%, Ozone concentration decreased by about 61.1%, and AOD reduced by 68.5% compared to the previous 2 years. It is found that the lockdown is an effective mitigation measure against air pollution to improve air quality and reduce the air pollution that creates pressure on the human health and health system. It might be difficult to implement long lockdown, as a mitigation measure, due to its direct impact on social and economic needs. However, we recommend a complete lockdown for 2–3 days (long weekend) every at least 2-3 months, on national and/or global level, which will significantly enhance our air quality and improve the health environment of the planet.
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Sarwar S, Shahzad K, Fareed Z, Shahzad U. A study on the effects of meteorological and climatic factors on the COVID-19 spread in Canada during 2020. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCE & ENGINEERING 2021; 19:1513-1521. [PMID: 34306711 PMCID: PMC8284697 DOI: 10.1007/s40201-021-00707-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has infected more than three million people, with thousands of deaths and millions of people into quarantine. In this research, the authors focus on meteorological and climatic factors on the COVID-19 spread, the main parameters including daily new cases of COVID-19, carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Sulfur dioxide (SO2), PM2.5, Ozone (O3), average temperature, and humidity are examined to understand how different meteorological parameters affect the COVID-19 spread in Canada? The graphical quantitative analysis results indicate that CO2 emissions, air quality, temperature, and humidity have a direct negative relationship with COVID-19 infections. Quantile regression analysis revealed that air quality, Nitrogen, and Ozone significantly induce the COVID-19 spread across Canadian provinces. The findings of this study are contrary to the earlier studies, which argued that weather and climate change significantly increase COVID-19 infections. We suggested that meteorological and climatic factors might be critical to reducing the COVID-19 new cases in Canada based on the findings. This work's empirical conclusions can provide a guideline for future research and policymaking to stop the COVID-19 spread across Canadian provinces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suleman Sarwar
- Finance and Economics Department, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Khurram Shahzad
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zeeshan Fareed
- School of Business, Huzhou University, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province People’s Republic of China
| | - Umer Shahzad
- School of Statistics and Applied Mathematics, Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Bengbu, 233030 People’s Republic of China
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134
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Chen Z, Huang BZ, Sidell MA, Chow T, Eckel SP, Pavlovic N, Martinez MP, Lurmann F, Thomas DC, Gilliland FD, Xiang AH. Near-roadway air pollution associated with COVID-19 severity and mortality - Multiethnic cohort study in Southern California. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 157:106862. [PMID: 34507232 PMCID: PMC8416551 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Air pollution exposure has been associated with increased risk of COVID-19 incidence and mortality by ecological analyses. Few studies have investigated the specific effect of traffic-related air pollution on COVID-19 severity. OBJECTIVE To investigate the associations of near-roadway air pollution (NRAP) exposure with COVID-19 severity and mortality using individual-level exposure and outcome data. METHODS The retrospective cohort includes 75,010 individuals (mean age 42.5 years, 54% female, 66% Hispanic) diagnosed with COVID-19 at Kaiser Permanente Southern California between 3/1/2020-8/31/2020. NRAP exposures from both freeways and non-freeways during 1-year prior to the COVID-19 diagnosis date were estimated based on residential address history using the CALINE4 line source dispersion model. Primary outcomes include COVID-19 severity defined as COVID-19-related hospitalizations, intensive respiratory support (IRS), intensive care unit (ICU) admissions within 30 days, and mortality within 60 days after COVID-19 diagnosis. Covariates including socio-characteristics and comorbidities were adjusted for in the analysis. RESULT One standard deviation (SD) increase in 1-year-averaged non-freeway NRAP (0.5 ppb NOx) was associated with increased odds of COVID-19-related IRS and ICU admission [OR (95% CI): 1.07 (1.01, 1.13) and 1.11 (1.04, 1.19) respectively] and increased risk of mortality (HR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.18). The associations of non-freeway NRAP with COVID-19 outcomes were largely independent of the effect of regional fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide exposures. These associations were generally consistent across age, sex, and race/ethnicity subgroups. The associations of freeway and total NRAP with COVID-19 severity and mortality were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Data from this multiethnic cohort suggested that NRAP, particularly non-freeway exposure in Southern California, may be associated with increased risk of COVID-19 severity and mortality among COVID-19 infected patients. Future studies are needed to assess the impact of emerging COVID-19 variants and chemical components from freeway and non-freeway NRAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanghua Chen
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Brian Z Huang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Margo A Sidell
- Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Ting Chow
- Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Sandrah P Eckel
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | | | - Mayra P Martinez
- Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | | | - Duncan C Thomas
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Frank D Gilliland
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Anny H Xiang
- Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, United States.
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Hadei M, Hopke PK, Shahsavani A, Raeisi A, Jafari AJ, Yarahmadi M, Farhadi M, Rahmatinia M, Bazazpour S, Bandpey AM, Zali A, Kermani M, Vaziri MH, Aghazadeh M. Effect of short-term exposure to air pollution on COVID-19 mortality and morbidity in Iranian cities. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCE & ENGINEERING 2021; 19:1807-1816. [PMID: 34729185 PMCID: PMC8553398 DOI: 10.1007/s40201-021-00736-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The association between air pollutant (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and O3) concentrations and daily number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and related deaths were evaluated in three major Iranian cities (Tehran, Mashhad, and Tabriz). METHODS Hourly concentrations of air pollutants and daily number of PCR-confirmed cases and deaths of COVID-19 were acquired (February 20th, 2020 to January 4th, 2021). A generalized additive model (GAM) assuming a quasi-Poisson distribution was used to model the associations in each city up to lag-day 7 (for mortality) and 14 (for morbidity). Then, the city-specific estimates were meta-analyzed using a fixed effect model to obtain the overall relative risks (RRs). RESULTS A total of 114,964 confirmed cases and 21,549 deaths were recorded in these cities. For confirmed cases, exposure to PM2.5, NO2, and O3 for several lag-days showed significant associations. In case of mortality, meta-analysis estimated that the RRs for PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and O3 concentrations were 1.06 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.13), 1.06 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.19), 1.15 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.38), and 1.07 (95% CI: 0.84, 1.31), respectively. Despite several positive associations with all air pollutants over multiple lag-days, COVID-19 mortality was only significantly associated with NO2 on lag-days 0-1 and 1 with the RRs of 1.35 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.67) and 1.16 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.31), respectively. CONCLUSION This study showed that air pollution can be a factor exacerbating COVID-19 infection and clinical outcomes. Actions should be taken to reduce the exposure of the public and particularly patients to ambient air pollutants. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40201-021-00736-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Hadei
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Philip K. Hopke
- Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13699 USA
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642 USA
| | - Abbas Shahsavani
- Air Quality and Climate Change Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Raeisi
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Ahmad Jonidi Jafari
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Yarahmadi
- Environmental and Occupational Health Center, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohsen Farhadi
- Environmental and Occupational Health Center, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoumeh Rahmatinia
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shahriar Bazazpour
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Alireza Zali
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Majid Kermani
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohmmad Hossien Vaziri
- Workplace Health Promotion Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehrab Aghazadeh
- Environmental and Occupational Health Center, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
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Han Y, Lam JCK, Li VOK, Crowcroft J, Fu J, Downey J, Gozes I, Zhang Q, Wang S, Gilani Z. Outdoor PM 2.5 concentration and rate of change in COVID-19 infection in provincial capital cities in China. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23206. [PMID: 34853387 PMCID: PMC8636470 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02523-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigates thoroughly whether acute exposure to outdoor PM2.5 concentration, P, modifies the rate of change in the daily number of COVID-19 infections (R) across 18 high infection provincial capitals in China, including Wuhan. A best-fit multiple linear regression model was constructed to model the relationship between P and R, from 1 January to 20 March 2020, after accounting for meteorology, net move-in mobility (NM), time trend (T), co-morbidity (CM), and the time-lag effects. Regression analysis shows that P (β = 0.4309, p < 0.001) is the most significant determinant of R. In addition, T (β = -0.3870, p < 0.001), absolute humidity (AH) (β = 0.2476, p = 0.002), P × AH (β = -0.2237, p < 0.001), and NM (β = 0.1383, p = 0.003) are more significant determinants of R, as compared to GDP per capita (β = 0.1115, p = 0.015) and CM (Asthma) (β = 0.1273, p = 0.005). A matching technique was adopted to demonstrate a possible causal relationship between P and R across 18 provincial capital cities. A 10 µg/m3 increase in P gives a 1.5% increase in R (p < 0.001). Interaction analysis also reveals that P × AH and R are negatively correlated (β = -0.2237, p < 0.001). Given that P exacerbates R, we recommend the installation of air purifiers and improved air ventilation to reduce the effect of P on R. Given the increasing observation that COVID-19 is airborne, measures that reduce P, plus mandatory masking that reduces the risks of COVID-19 associated with viral-particulate transmission, are strongly recommended. Our study is distinguished by the focus on the rate of change instead of the individual cases of COVID-19 when modelling the statistical relationship between R and P in China; causal instead of correlation analysis via the matching analysis, while taking into account the key confounders, and the individual plus the interaction effects of P and AH on R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Han
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Jacqueline C K Lam
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.
| | - Victor O K Li
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.
| | - Jon Crowcroft
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jinqi Fu
- MRC Cancer Unit, Department of Oncology, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jocelyn Downey
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Illana Gozes
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Adams Super Center for Brain Studies and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Qi Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Shanshan Wang
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Zafar Gilani
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
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137
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Parida BR, Bar S, Kaskaoutis D, Pandey AC, Polade SD, Goswami S. Impact of COVID-19 induced lockdown on land surface temperature, aerosol, and urban heat in Europe and North America. SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY 2021; 75:103336. [PMID: 34513574 PMCID: PMC8418702 DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2021.103336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The outbreak of SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19) has posed a serious threat to human beings, society, and economic activities all over the world. Worldwide rigorous containment measures for limiting the spread of the virus have several beneficial environmental implications due to decreased anthropogenic emissions and air pollutants, which provide a unique opportunity to understand and quantify the human impact on atmospheric environment. In the present study, the associated changes in Land Surface Temperature (LST), aerosol, and atmospheric water vapor content were investigated over highly COVID-19 impacted areas, namely, Europe and North America. The key findings revealed a large-scale negative standardized LST anomaly during nighttime across Europe (-0.11 °C to -2.6 °C), USA (-0.70 °C) and Canada (-0.27 °C) in March-May of the pandemic year 2020 compared to the mean of 2015-2019, which can be partly ascribed to the lockdown effect. The reduced LST was corroborated with the negative anomaly of air temperature measured at meteorological stations (i.e. -0.46 °C to -0.96 °C). A larger decrease in nighttime LST was also seen in urban areas (by ∼1-2 °C) compared to rural landscapes, which suggests a weakness of the urban heat island effect during the lockdown period due to large decrease in absorbing aerosols and air pollutants. On the contrary, daytime LST increased over most parts of Europe due to less attenuation of solar radiation by atmospheric aerosols. Synoptic meteorological variability and several surface-related factors may mask these changes and significantly affect the variations in LST, aerosols and water vapor content. The changes in LST may be a temporary phenomenon during the lockdown but provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the effects of various forcing controlling factors in urban microclimate and a strong evidence base for potential environmental benefits through urban planning and policy implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bikash Ranjan Parida
- Department of Geoinformatics, School of Natural Resource Management, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi 835205, India
| | - Somnath Bar
- Department of Geoinformatics, School of Natural Resource Management, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi 835205, India
| | - Dimitris Kaskaoutis
- Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Palaia Penteli, 15236 Athens, Greece
- Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, 71003 Crete, Greece
| | - Arvind Chandra Pandey
- Department of Geoinformatics, School of Natural Resource Management, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi 835205, India
| | | | - Santonu Goswami
- Earth and Climate Science Area, National Remote Sensing Centre, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Hyderabad 500037, India
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138
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Ahmed MM, Hoque ME, Rahman S, Roy PK, Alam F, Rahman MM, Rahman MM, Hopke PK. Prediction of COVID-19 Cases from the Nexus of Air Quality and Meteorological Phenomena: Bangladesh Perspective. EARTH SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENT 2021; 6:307-325. [PMID: 34870076 PMCID: PMC8627582 DOI: 10.1007/s41748-021-00278-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
An integrated approach was used to estimate the number of COVID-19 patients related to air quality and meteorological phenomena. Additionally, the air quality during pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown stages of the COVID-19 pandemic was assessed to determine the effect of the infection containment measures taken in Bangladesh during the pandemic. The air quality was assessed based on measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), black carbon, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), and aerosol optical depth. Time-averaged maps of these parameters have been generated from NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) website. Values of these parameters have also been collected from a continuous air monitoring station (CAMS) located in Bangladesh's north-western city Rajshahi. The comparison shows that lockdown during the pandemic has brought significant improvements in air quality. However, the improvement was not sustained, since rapid increases in the air pollutant concentrations were observed in the post-lockdown period. Furthermore, Pearson correlation coefficients between each air quality variable and the daily new COVID-19 case rates were calculated. Different meteorological variables during the same time periods were determined to observe the variation in Rajshahi city. Relationships of these variables with the case rates were also established. Additionally, statistical analyses of the obtained data have been conducted for the measured variables using the Kruskal-Wallis test to assess the differences in the observed data among the pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown periods. Dunn's "Q" test was employed to test if the variables showed significance statistical difference during the Kruskal-Wallis test for pairwise comparisons. From the study, it has been observed that both meteorological variables and air quality parameters have significant relationship with daily new COVID-19 case rates. Both positive and negative associations of these parameters with the COVID-19 case rates have been observed. Very high air pollution has been observed in the post-lockdown period. Thus, it is recommended that appropriate authorities undertake corrective measures to protect the environment in cities with large populations. This study provides guidance for decision makers and health officials for future research and potentially reducing the spread of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mim Mashrur Ahmed
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Emdadul Hoque
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Shahanaj Rahman
- Department of Environment, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Proshanta Kumar Roy
- Department of Environment, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Firoz Alam
- School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Md. Mostafizur Rahman
- Institute for Future Transport and Cities, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
| | - Philip K. Hopke
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY USA
- Institute for a Sustainable Environment, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY USA
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139
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Sthel MS, Lima MA, Linhares FG, Mota L. Dichotomous analysis of gaseous emissions as influenced by the impacts of COVID-19 in Brazil: São Paulo and Legal Amazon. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:834. [PMID: 34799792 PMCID: PMC8604704 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09629-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric contaminants severely impact air quality in large global urban centers. The emergence of COVID-19 in China in December 2019 and its expansion around the world reduced human activities on account of the implementation of a social isolation policy. In Brazil, COVID-19 arrived in February 2020, and a policy of social isolation was adopted in March by state governments; this work aimed to evaluate pollutant gas emissions in Brazil in the face of the pandemic. In the city of São Paulo, the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) were analyzed at three automatic monitoring stations of the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo (CETESB). In this way, reductions in concentrations of these gases were observed after the decree of social isolation on March 24, due to a noticeable drop in vehicle traffic in the city. A reduction in concentrations of NO2, between 53.6 and 73%, and a decrease in concentrations of CO, from 50 to 66.7%, were obtained at the monitoring stations. Another impact caused by COVID-19 was the increase in deforestation and fires was identified in the Brazilian Legal Amazon after social isolation, due to the decrease in the inspection of environmental agencies. The fires produce thermal degradation of the biomass, generating polluting gases and material particulate. These atmospheric contaminants are extremely harmful to the health of Amazonian populations. Summed to the expansion of COVID-19 in this region, all these factors combined cause the public health system to collapse. CO2eq emissions increase estimates, according to the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimation System technical report, ranged from 10 to 20% in 2020, compared to those from 2018. If Brazil maintains deforestation at this pace, it will be difficult to meet the emission reduction targets agreed at COP21.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo S Sthel
- Center of Science and Technology, North Fluminense State University, Campos dos Goytacazes, 28013-602, Brazil.
| | - Marcenilda A Lima
- Center of Science and Technology, North Fluminense State University, Campos dos Goytacazes, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Fernanda G Linhares
- Center of Science and Technology, North Fluminense State University, Campos dos Goytacazes, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Mota
- Center of Science and Technology, North Fluminense State University, Campos dos Goytacazes, 28013-602, Brazil
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140
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Geospatial Correlation Analysis between Air Pollution Indicators and Estimated Speed of COVID-19 Diffusion in the Lombardy Region (Italy). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182212154. [PMID: 34831909 PMCID: PMC8617767 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182212154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Background: the Lombardy region in Italy was the first area in Europe to record an outbreak of COVID-19 and one of the most affected worldwide. As this territory is strongly polluted, it was hypothesized that pollution had a role in facilitating the diffusion of the epidemic, but results are uncertain. Aim: the paper explores the effect of air pollutants in the first spread of COVID-19 in Lombardy, with a novel geomatics approach addressing the possible confounding factors, the reliability of data, the measurement of diffusion speed, and the biasing effect of the lockdown measures. Methods and results: all municipalities were assigned to one of five possible territorial classes (TC) according to land-use and socio-economic status, and they were grouped into districts of 100,000 residents. For each district, the speed of COVID-19 diffusion was estimated from the ambulance dispatches and related to indicators of mean concentration of air pollutants over 1, 6, and 12 months, grouping districts in the same TC. Significant exponential correlations were found for ammonia (NH3) in both prevalently agricultural (R2 = 0.565) and mildly urbanized (R2 = 0.688) areas. Conclusions: this is the first study relating COVID-19 estimated speed of diffusion with indicators of exposure to NH3. As NH3 could induce oxidative stress, its role in creating a pre-existing fragility that could have facilitated SARS-CoV-2 replication and worsening of patient conditions could be speculated.
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141
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Kostoff RN, Briggs MB, Kanduc D, Shores DR, Kovatsi L, Drakoulis N, Porter AL, Tsatsakis A, Spandidos DA. Contributing factors common to COVID‑19 and gastrointestinal cancer. Oncol Rep 2021; 47:16. [PMID: 34779496 PMCID: PMC8611322 DOI: 10.3892/or.2021.8227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The devastating complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) result from the dysfunctional immune response of an individual following the initial severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Multiple toxic stressors and behaviors contribute to underlying immune system dysfunction. SARS-CoV-2 exploits the dysfunctional immune system to trigger a chain of events, ultimately leading to COVID-19. The authors have previously identified a number of contributing factors (CFs) common to myriad chronic diseases. Based on these observations, it was hypothesized that there may be a significant overlap between CFs associated with COVID-19 and gastrointestinal cancer (GIC). Thus, in the present study, a streamlined dot-product approach was used initially to identify potential CFs that affect COVID-19 and GIC directly (i.e., the simultaneous occurrence of CFs and disease in the same article). The nascent character of the COVID-19 core literature (~1-year-old) did not allow sufficient time for the direct effects of numerous CFs on COVID-19 to emerge from laboratory experiments and epidemiological studies. Therefore, a literature-related discovery approach was used to augment the COVID-19 core literature-based ‘direct impact’ CFs with discovery-based ‘indirect impact’ CFs [CFs were identified in the non-COVID-19 biomedical literature that had the same biomarker impact pattern (e.g., hyperinflammation, hypercoagulation, hypoxia, etc.) as was shown in the COVID-19 literature]. Approximately 2,250 candidate direct impact CFs in common between GIC and COVID-19 were identified, albeit some being variants of the same concept. As commonality proof of concept, 75 potential CFs that appeared promising were selected, and 63 overlapping COVID-19/GIC potential/candidate CFs were validated with biological plausibility. In total, 42 of the 63 were overlapping direct impact COVID-19/GIC CFs, and the remaining 21 were candidate GIC CFs that overlapped with indirect impact COVID-19 CFs. On the whole, the present study demonstrates that COVID-19 and GIC share a number of common risk/CFs, including behaviors and toxic exposures, that impair immune function. A key component of immune system health is the removal of those factors that contribute to immune system dysfunction in the first place. This requires a paradigm shift from traditional Western medicine, which often focuses on treatment, rather than prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald Neil Kostoff
- School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Gainesville, VA 20155, USA
| | | | - Darja Kanduc
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, I‑70125 Bari, Italy
| | - Darla Roye Shores
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Leda Kovatsi
- Laboratory of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Drakoulis
- Research Group of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | | | - Aristidis Tsatsakis
- Department of Forensic Sciences and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Demetrios A Spandidos
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Medical School, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
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142
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Jevtic M, Matkovic V, van den Hazel P, Bouland C. Environment-lockdown, air pollution and related diseases: could we learn something and make it last? Eur J Public Health 2021; 31:iv36-iv39. [PMID: 34751365 PMCID: PMC8576300 DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the pandemic has caused substantial losses in economic prosperity and human lives, it has also some positive impacts on the environment. Restricted mobility, complete closure, less traffic and industry have led to improved air quality especially in urban settings. Not only is air pollution an important determinant of chronic diseases, such as heart and lung disorders, but it has also been shown that poor air quality increases the risk of COVID-19. In this article, we review some of the findings on changes in air quality during the pandemic, and its potential effects on health. We need to continue to monitor the effects of change in air quality, due to COVID-19 lockdown or other factors, but also keep all our efforts to improve air quality even faster and more persistent, bringing the pollution levels below what WHO recommends are safe to live with.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Jevtic
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Research Centre on Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- EUPHA Environment and Health Section, The Netherlands
| | - Vlatka Matkovic
- EUPHA Environment and Health Section, The Netherlands
- Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Peter van den Hazel
- EUPHA Environment and Health Section, The Netherlands
- International Network on Children’s Health, Environment and Safety—INCHES, Ellecom, The Netherlands
| | - Catherine Bouland
- Research Centre on Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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143
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Salmin VV, Morgun AV, Olovyannikova RY, Kutyakov VA, Lychkovskaya EV, Brusina EB, Salmina AB. [Atmospheric reactive oxygen species and some aspects of the antiviral protection of the respiratory epithelium]. BIOMEDIT︠S︡INSKAI︠A︡ KHIMII︠A︡ 2021; 67:383-393. [PMID: 34730551 DOI: 10.18097/pbmc20216705383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The review focuses on molecular and biochemical mechanisms of nonspecific protection of respiratory epithelium. The authors provide a comprehensive analysis of up-to-date data on the activity of the lactoperoxidase system expressed on the surface of the respiratory epithelium which provides the generation of hypothiocyanate and hypoiodite in the presence of locally produced or inhaled hydrogen peroxide. Molecular mechanisms of production of active compounds with antiviral and antibacterial effects, expression profiles of enzymes, transporters and ion channels involved in the generation of hypothiocyanite and hypoiodate in the mucous membrane of the respiratory system in physiological and pathological conditions (inflammation) are discussed. In the context of antibacterial and antiviral defense special attention is paid to recent data confirming the effects of atmospheric air composition on the efficiency of hypothiocyanite and hypoiodate synthesis in the respiratory epithelium. The causes and outcomes of lactoperoxidase system impairment due to the action of atmospheric factors are discussed in the context of controlling the sensitivity of the epithelium to the action of bacterial agents and viruses. Restoration of the lactoperoxidase system activity can be achieved by application of pharmacological agents aimed to compensate for the lack of halides in tissues, and by the control of chemical composition of the inhaled air.
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Affiliation(s)
- V V Salmin
- Professor V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - A V Morgun
- Professor V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - R Ya Olovyannikova
- Professor V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - V A Kutyakov
- Professor V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - E V Lychkovskaya
- Professor V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - E B Brusina
- Kemerovo State Medical University, Kemerovo, Russia
| | - A B Salmina
- Professor V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia; Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia
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144
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Cutrini E, Salvati L. Unraveling spatial patterns of COVID-19 in Italy: Global forces and local economic drivers. REGIONAL SCIENCE POLICY & PRACTICE 2021; 13:73-108. [PMID: 38607853 PMCID: PMC8662141 DOI: 10.1111/rsp3.12465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
This article investigates the spatial patterns of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in Italy and its determinants from March 9 to June 15, 2020, a time interval covering the so-called first wave of COVID pandemics in Europe. The results, based on negative binomial regressions and linear spatial models, confirm the importance of multiple factors that positively correlate with the number of recorded cases. Economic forces, including urban agglomeration, industrial districts, concentration of large companies (both before and after the beginning of the 'lockdown') and a north-south gradient, are the most significant predictors of the strength of COVID-19 infection. These effects are statistically more robust in the spatial models than in the aspatial ones. We interpretate our results in the light of pitfalls related to data reliability, and we discuss policy implications and possible avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Cutrini
- Department of Economics and LawUniversity of MacerataMacerataItaly
| | - Luca Salvati
- Department of Economics and LawUniversity of MacerataMacerataItaly
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145
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Martinez-Soto A, Avendaño Vera CC, Boso A, Hofflinger A, Shupler M. Energy poverty influences urban outdoor air pollution levels during COVID-19 lockdown in south-central Chile. ENERGY POLICY 2021; 158:112571. [PMID: 34511701 PMCID: PMC8418915 DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
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 (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) 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 between 2019 and 2020. The potential impact of varying annual meterological conditions on air quality was also assessed. During COVID-19 lockdown, average monthly ambient PM2.5 concentrations in a commercial and middle-income residential neighborhood of Temuco were up to 50% higher (from 12 to 18 μg/m3) and 59% higher (from 22 to 35 μg/m3) than 2019 levels, respectively. Conversely, PM2.5 levels decreased by up to 52% (from 43 to 21 μg/m3) in low-income areas. The fine fraction of PM10 in April 2020 was 48% higher than in April 2017-2019 (from 50% to 74%) in a commercial area. These changes did not appear to result from meterological differences between years. During COVID-19 lockdown, higher outdoor PM2.5 pollution from wood heating existed in more affluent areas of Temuco, while PM2.5 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aner Martinez-Soto
- Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Constanza C Avendaño Vera
- Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Alex Boso
- Núcleo en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Butamallín Research Center for Global Change, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Alvaro Hofflinger
- Núcleo en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Butamallín Research Center for Global Change, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Matthew Shupler
- Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems, University of Liverpool, UK
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146
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Kovács KD, Haidu I. Effect of Anti-COVID-19 Measures on Atmospheric Pollutants Correlated with the Economies of Medium-sized Cities in 10 Urban Areas of Grand Est Region, France. SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY 2021; 74:103173. [PMID: 36567861 PMCID: PMC9760193 DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2021.103173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Using Sentinel-5P data, this study investigated the magnitude of change in the concentration of air pollutants (NO2, HCHO, SO2, O3, CO, and aerosol index) in the air of ten cities and urban areas of the French region of Grand Est as a result of the first lockdown imposed between March 17, 2020 and May 11, 2020. The results showed that the air quality in the urban environments of Grand Est improved significantly compared to the same period in 2019 without lockdown. NO2, O3, aerosol index and CO were the pollutants that exhibited maximum reductions by an average of -33.98%, -5.94%, -26.82% and -0.66%, respectively (the observed maximum decreases were -54.7%, -7.7%, -13.1%, and -5.3%, respectively). The largest decrease occurred in the Public Establishments of Inter-municipal Cooperation (EPCI, in French: Établissement public de coopération intercommunale) areas of Eurométropole de Strasbourg, CA Colmar, and CA Mulhouse Alsace. The maximum decrease in air pollution first occurred in land cover classes close to cities, followed by built-up urban areas. In this study, a global depollution index known as the atmospheric clearance index (ACI) was developed, which involved several air pollution parameters, and quantitatively analyzed the decrease in contamination levels of the atmosphere in this region. In addition, the correlation between the novel ACI and other population and economic development indices was studied. The results indicated that there was a negative and statistically significant correlation between ACI and population density, gross domestic product, gross value added (GVA) at basic prices, number of employees, and active enterprises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamill Dániel Kovács
- Université de Lorraine, Laboratoire LOTERR-EA7304, Île du Saulcy, 57045 Metz, France
| | - Ionel Haidu
- Université de Lorraine, Laboratoire LOTERR-EA7304, Île du Saulcy, 57045 Metz, France
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147
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Huang G, Blangiardo M, Brown PE, Pirani M. Long-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 incidence: A multi-country study. Spat Spatiotemporal Epidemiol 2021; 39:100443. [PMID: 34774259 PMCID: PMC8354798 DOI: 10.1016/j.sste.2021.100443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The study of the impacts of air pollution on COVID-19 has gained increasing attention. However, most of the existing studies are based on a single country, with a high degree of variation in the results reported in different papers. We attempt to inform the debate about the long-term effects of air pollution on COVID-19 by conducting a multi-country analysis using a spatial ecological design, including Canada, Italy, England and the United States. The model allows the residual spatial autocorrelation after accounting for covariates. It is concluded that the effects of PM2.5 and NO2 are inconsistent across countries. Specifically, NO2 was not found to be an important factor affecting COVID-19 infection, while a large effect for PM2.5 in the US is not found in the other three countries. The Population Attributable Fraction for COVID-19 incidence ranges from 3.4% in Canada to 45.9% in Italy, although with considerable uncertainty in these estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guowen Huang
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Global Health Research, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Marta Blangiardo
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Patrick E Brown
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Global Health Research, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Monica Pirani
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
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148
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Dutta A, Dutta G. Association of air pollution and meteorological variables with the two waves of COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi: A critical analysis. Heliyon 2021; 7:e08468. [PMID: 34841120 PMCID: PMC8610833 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Various countries across the globe have been affected by different COVID-19 waves at different points in time and with varying levels of virulence. With the backdrop of the two COVID-19 waves that broke out in Delhi, this study examines the variations in the concentrations of criteria pollutants, air quality, and meteorological variables across the waves and their influence on COVID-19 morbidity/mortality. Descriptive statistics, violin plots, and Spearman rank correlation tests were employed to assess the variations in environmental parameters and investigate their associations with COVID-19 incidence under the two waves. The susceptible-infected-recovered model and multiple linear regression were used to assess the wave-wise basic reproduction number (R0) and infection spreading trajectory of the virus. Our results show that the first wave in Delhi had three successive peaks and valleys, and the first peak of the second wave was the tallest, indicating the severity of per-day infection cases. During the analysed period (April 2020 and April 2021), concentrations of criteria pollutants varied across the waves, and air pollution was substantially higher during the second wave. In addition, the results revealed that during the second wave, NO2 maintained a significant negative relationship with COVID-19 (cases per day), while SO2 had a negative relationship with COVID-19 (cumulative cases) during the first wave. Our results also show a significant positive association of O3 with COVID-19 deaths during the first wave and cumulative cases and deaths during the second wave. The study indicates that a higher relative humidity in Delhi had a negative relation with COVID-19 cumulative cases and mortality during the first wave. The study confirms that the estimated R0 was marginally different during the two waves, and the spread of COVID-19 new cases followed a cubic growth trajectory. The findings of this study provide valuable information for policymakers in handling COVID-19 waves in various cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Dutta
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Gautam Dutta
- Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, 1583, Madurdaha, Kolkata, West Bengal 700100, India
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149
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Hansell AL, Villeneuve PJ. Invited Perspective: Ambient Air Pollution and SARS-CoV-2: Research Challenges and Public Health Implications. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2021; 129:111303. [PMID: 34797163 PMCID: PMC8604045 DOI: 10.1289/ehp10540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna L. Hansell
- Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Paul J. Villeneuve
- CHAIM Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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150
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Zhang Y, Bo H, Jiang Z, Wang Y, Fu Y, Cao B, Wang X, Chen J, Li R. Untangling the contributions of meteorological conditions and human mobility to tropospheric NO 2 in Chinese mainland during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Natl Sci Rev 2021; 8:nwab061. [PMID: 34873447 PMCID: PMC8083328 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwab061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In early 2020, unprecedented lockdowns and travel bans were implemented in Chinese mainland to fight COVID-19, which led to a large reduction in anthropogenic emissions. This provided a unique opportunity to isolate the effects from emission and meteorology on tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Comparing the atmospheric NO2 in 2020 with that in 2017, we found the changes of emission have led to a 49.3 ± 23.5% reduction, which was ∼12% more than satellite-observed reduction of 37.8 ± 16.3%. The discrepancy was mainly a result of changes of meteorology, which have contributed to an 8.1 ± 14.2% increase of NO2. We also revealed that the emission-induced reduction of NO2 has significantly negative correlations to human mobility, particularly that inside the city. The intra-city migration index derived from Baidu Location-Based-Service can explain 40.4% ± 17.7% variance of the emission-induced reduction of NO2 in 29 megacities, each of which has a population of over 8 million in Chinese mainland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiang Zhang
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Comparative Planetary Excellence Innovation Center, Frontiers Science Center for Planetary Exploration and Emerging Technologies, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Haixu Bo
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Zhe Jiang
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yu Wang
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yunfei Fu
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Bingwei Cao
- Jiangxi Ecological Environment Monitoring Center, Nanchang 330000, China
| | - Xuewen Wang
- Green Earth Science and Education Service, Slingerlands, NY 12259, USA
| | - Jiaqi Chen
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Rui Li
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Comparative Planetary Excellence Innovation Center, Frontiers Science Center for Planetary Exploration and Emerging Technologies, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230026, China
- State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
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