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Cabello-Torres RJ, Carbo-Bustinza N, Romero-Cabello EA, Ureta Tolentino JM, Torres Armas EA, Turpo-Chaparro JE, Canas Rodrigues P, López-Gonzales JL. An exploratory analysis of PM 2.5 /PM 10 ratio during spring 2016-2018 in Metropolitan Lima. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9285. [PMID: 38654081 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59831-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Aerosols (PM2.5 and PM10 ) represent one of the most critical pollutants due to their negative effects on human health. This research analyzed the relationship of PM and its PM2.5 /PM10 ratios with climatic variables in the austral spring (2016-2018) in Metropolitan Lima. Overall, there was an average PM2.5 /PM10 ratio of 0.33 with fluctuations from 0.30 to 0.35. However, there have also been high point values that reached ratios greater than one. This situation indicates a moderate condition of contamination by particulate matter with a predominance of coarse aerosols in spring, with an increasing trend over the years. The locations Ate and Villa Maria del Triunfo, especially Ate, presented poor quality conditions. Thursdays showed outstanding pollution peaks by PM10 , and a decrease is visible on Sundays. On the other hand, the PM2.5 showed a similar pattern every day, including Sundays. The maximum peaks occurred in the morning and night hours. The increase in anthropogenic emissions associated with the formation of secondary aerosols has been evident, being the case of the location Campo de Marte, the one that had a significant increase in ratios PM2.5 /PM10 , which confirms a greater intensity of secondary formations of carbonaceous particles from industrial oil sources, vehicle exhaust, as well as aerosols from metal smelting and biomass burning. There were negative correlations of the ratios with PM10 , temperature, wind speed, and direction, and positive correlations with PM2.5 and relative humidity. Contour lines were successfully developed that demonstrated the interaction of climate with PM2.5 /PM10 ratios. This will deepen the exploration of emission sources and modeling, which allows for optimizing air quality indices to control emissions and adequately manage air quality in Metropolitan Lima.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Natalí Carbo-Bustinza
- Doctorado Interdisciplinario en Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile
| | | | | | - Elías A Torres Armas
- Instituto de Investigación de Estudios Estadísticos y Control de Calidad, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza, Chachapoyas, Peru
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Nieto-Gutierrez W, Campos-Chambergo J, Gonzalez-Ayala E, Oyola-Garcia O, Alejandro-Mora A, Luis-Aguirre E, Pasquel-Santillan R, Leiva-Aguirre J, Ugarte-Gil C, Loyola S. Prediction models of COVID-19 fatality in nine Peruvian provinces: A secondary analysis of the national epidemiological surveillance system. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 4:e0002854. [PMID: 38285714 PMCID: PMC10824411 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
There are initiatives to promote the creation of predictive COVID-19 fatality models to assist decision-makers. The study aimed to develop prediction models for COVID-19 fatality using population data recorded in the national epidemiological surveillance system of Peru. A retrospective cohort study was conducted (March to September of 2020). The study population consisted of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the surveillance system of nine provinces of Lima, Peru. A random sample of 80% of the study population was selected, and four prediction models were constructed using four different strategies to select variables: 1) previously analyzed variables in machine learning models; 2) based on the LASSO method; 3) based on significance; and 4) based on a post-hoc approach with variables consistently included in the three previous strategies. The internal validation was performed with the remaining 20% of the population. Four prediction models were successfully created and validate using data from 22,098 cases. All models performed adequately and similarly; however, we selected models derived from strategy 1 (AUC 0.89, CI95% 0.87-0.91) and strategy 4 (AUC 0.88, CI95% 0.86-0.90). The performance of both models was robust in validation and sensitivity analyses. This study offers insights into estimating COVID-19 fatality within the Peruvian population. Our findings contribute to the advancement of prediction models for COVID-19 fatality and may aid in identifying individuals at increased risk, enabling targeted interventions to mitigate the disease. Future studies should confirm the performance and validate the usefulness of the models described here under real-world conditions and settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy Nieto-Gutierrez
- Facultad de Salud Pública, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, Perú
| | - Jaid Campos-Chambergo
- Dirección de Epidemiología e Investigación, Dirección Regional de Salud Lima Provincias, Lima, Perú
| | - Enrique Gonzalez-Ayala
- Dirección de Epidemiología e Investigación, Dirección Regional de Salud Lima Provincias, Lima, Perú
| | - Oswaldo Oyola-Garcia
- Dirección de Epidemiología e Investigación, Dirección Regional de Salud Lima Provincias, Lima, Perú
| | - Alberti Alejandro-Mora
- Dirección de Epidemiología e Investigación, Dirección Regional de Salud Lima Provincias, Lima, Perú
| | - Eliana Luis-Aguirre
- Dirección de Epidemiología e Investigación, Dirección Regional de Salud Lima Provincias, Lima, Perú
| | - Roly Pasquel-Santillan
- Dirección de Epidemiología e Investigación, Dirección Regional de Salud Lima Provincias, Lima, Perú
| | - Juan Leiva-Aguirre
- Dirección de Epidemiología e Investigación, Dirección Regional de Salud Lima Provincias, Lima, Perú
| | - Cesar Ugarte-Gil
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public and Population Health, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Steev Loyola
- Dirección de Epidemiología e Investigación, Dirección Regional de Salud Lima Provincias, Lima, Perú
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
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Fano-Sizgorich D, Vásquez-Velásquez C, Orellana LR, Ponce-Torres C, Gamboa-Serpa H, Alvarez-Huambachano K, Gonzales GF. Risk of death, hospitalization and intensive care unit admission by SARS-CoV-2 variants in Peru: a retrospective study. Int J Infect Dis 2023; 127:144-149. [PMID: 36563957 PMCID: PMC9763211 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Peru has had the highest death toll from the pandemic worldwide; however, it is not clear what the effects of the different variants on these outcomes are. The study aimed to evaluate the risk of death, hospitalization, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates of COVID-19 according to the SARS-CoV-2 variants detected in Peru from March 2020-February 2022. METHODS Retrospective study using open-access databases were published by the Peruvian Ministry of Health. Databases of genomic sequencing, death, COVID-19 cases, hospitalization and ICU, and vaccination were used. Crude and adjusted Cox proportional hazards regressions with clustered variances were modeled to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) of outcomes by variant. RESULTS Lambda variant had the highest risk of death (HR 1.92, 95% CI 1.37-2.68), whereas the Delta variant had the lowest risk (HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.31-0.82). Mu variant had the highest risk of hospitalization (HR: 2.39, 95% CI 1.56-3.67), Omicron the lowest (HR 0.45, 95%CI 0.23-0.90), and Gamma had the highest ICU admission rate (HR 1.95, 95%CI 1.40-2.71). CONCLUSION SARS-CoV-2 variants showed distinctive risks of clinical outcomes, which could have implications for the management of infected persons during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Fano-Sizgorich
- Laboratorio de Endocrinología y Reproducción, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru; Latin American Center of Excellence for Climate Change and Health, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
| | - Cinthya Vásquez-Velásquez
- Laboratorio de Endocrinología y Reproducción, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru; Dirección de Laboratorio de Salud Pública, Dirección Regional de Salud del Callao, Callao, Peru
| | - Laura R Orellana
- EMERGE, Emerging Diseases and Climate Change Research Unit, Facultad de Salud Pública y Administración, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Christian Ponce-Torres
- Latin American Center of Excellence for Climate Change and Health, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | | | | | - Gustavo F Gonzales
- Laboratorio de Endocrinología y Reproducción, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
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Hassan MA, Mehmood T, Lodhi E, Bilal M, Dar AA, Liu J. Lockdown Amid COVID-19 Ascendancy over Ambient Particulate Matter Pollution Anomaly. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:13540. [PMID: 36294120 PMCID: PMC9603700 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Air is a diverse mixture of gaseous and suspended solid particles. Several new substances are being added to the air daily, polluting it and causing human health effects. Particulate matter (PM) is the primary health concern among these air toxins. The World Health Organization (WHO) addressed the fact that particulate pollution affects human health more severely than other air pollutants. The spread of air pollution and viruses, two of our millennium's most serious concerns, have been linked closely. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can spread through the air, and PM could act as a host to spread the virus beyond those in close contact. Studies on COVID-19 cover diverse environmental segments and become complicated with time. As PM pollution is related to everyday life, an essential awareness regarding PM-impacted COVID-19 among the masses is required, which can help researchers understand the various features of ambient particulate pollution, particularly in the era of COVID-19. Given this, the present work provides an overview of the recent developments in COVID-19 research linked to ambient particulate studies. This review summarizes the effect of the lockdown on the characteristics of ambient particulate matter pollution, the transmission mechanism of COVID-19, and the combined health repercussions of PM pollution. In addition to a comprehensive evaluation of the implementation of the lockdown, its rationales-based on topographic and socioeconomic dynamics-are also discussed in detail. The current review is expected to encourage and motivate academics to concentrate on improving air quality management and COVID-19 control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Azher Hassan
- Tianjin Key Lab of Indoor Air Environmental Quality Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Tariq Mehmood
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, D-04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ehtisham Lodhi
- The SKL for Management and Control of Complex Systems, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Muhammad Bilal
- School of Surveying and Land Information Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000, China
| | - Afzal Ahmed Dar
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710000, China
| | - Junjie Liu
- Tianjin Key Lab of Indoor Air Environmental Quality Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
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Zhang Y, Ma Y, Shen J, Li H, Wang H, Cheng B, Ma L. Effect of ambient O 3 on mortality due to circulatory and respiratory diseases in a high latitude city of northeast China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:67776-67786. [PMID: 35522413 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20585-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, O3 pollution had been worsening in China and became a major challenge for human health. To evaluate the O3 effects on circulatory and respiratory mortality in Harbin, a high latitude city of northeast China, we applied a time-series study from 2014 to 2016. After collecting data and adjusting for the effects of confounders, we built the generalized additive model to assess the associations between O3 and mortality at different lag days. The results showed that an interquartile-range (IQR) increase in O3 concentration corresponded to excess risk (ER) of 2.00% (95%CI: - 0.25-4.30%) for circulatory mortality at lag 0 and 8.02% (95%CI: 4.18-12.01%) for respiratory mortality at lag 2 days in the single-pollutant model. Stratified analysis showed that O3 had a greater effect on females than on males. The effect of O3 exposure on circulatory mortality was stronger during the warm period, while the opposite trend was founded for respiratory mortality. The sensitivity analysis showed that the effects of O3 were relatively independent and the major results were robust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Zhang
- Ministry of Education, College of Atmospheric Sciences, Key Laboratory of Semi-Arid Climate Change, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Yuxia Ma
- Ministry of Education, College of Atmospheric Sciences, Key Laboratory of Semi-Arid Climate Change, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
| | - Jiahui Shen
- Ministry of Education, College of Atmospheric Sciences, Key Laboratory of Semi-Arid Climate Change, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Heping Li
- Ministry of Education, College of Atmospheric Sciences, Key Laboratory of Semi-Arid Climate Change, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Hang Wang
- Ministry of Education, College of Atmospheric Sciences, Key Laboratory of Semi-Arid Climate Change, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Bowen Cheng
- Ministry of Education, College of Atmospheric Sciences, Key Laboratory of Semi-Arid Climate Change, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Liya Ma
- Lanzhou Petrochemical Company, Lanzhou, 730060, China
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Paz-Aparicio VM, Tapia V, Vasquez-Apestegui BV, Steenland K, Gonzales GF. Intrauterine and Extrauterine Environmental PM 2.5 Exposure Is Associated with Overweight/Obesity (O/O) in Children Aged 6 to 59 Months from Lima, Peru: A Case-Control Study. TOXICS 2022; 10:487. [PMID: 36006166 PMCID: PMC9416618 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10080487] [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: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
There is evidence that PM2.5 could be obesogenic. Lima is one of the most polluted cities in South America, with an increasing prevalence of childhood obesity. This study aimed to determine the association between PM2.5 exposure of children aged 6 to 59 months and being overweight or obese (O/O) in a significant dataset survey. Cases were defined when weight for height Z-score (WHZ) was >2 standard deviations (SD) from the mean, for each sex. A control was defined when WHZ was between ±2 SD. We used a conditional logistic regression model to calculate the odds ratio (OR) between extrauterine and intrauterine PM2.5 exposure and O/O. Extrauterine PM2.5 exposure was evaluated as a 6-month PM2.5 mean prior to the survey. We found a significant association between O/O and extrauterine (OR: 1.57, 1.51−1.63) and intrauterine (OR: 1.99, 1.88−2.12) PM2.5 exposure for an increment of 10 μg/m3. The ORs increased as the quartile increased in both exposures. We observed a higher association in children aged 6−11 months (OR: 3.07, 2.84−3.31). In conclusion, higher levels of PM2.5 in Lima and Callao were associated with cases of O/O in children from 6 to 59 months, with the association higher for prenatal exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria M. Paz-Aparicio
- Laboratorio de Endocrinología y Reproducción, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo (LID), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15102, Peru
| | - Vilma Tapia
- Laboratorio de Endocrinología y Reproducción, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo (LID), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15102, Peru
| | - Bertha Vanessa Vasquez-Apestegui
- Laboratorio de Endocrinología y Reproducción, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo (LID), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15102, Peru
| | - Kyle Steenland
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Gustavo F. Gonzales
- Laboratorio de Endocrinología y Reproducción, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo (LID), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15102, Peru
- Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15102, Peru
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Assessing the impact of long-term exposure to nine outdoor air pollutants on COVID-19 spatial spread and related mortality in 107 Italian provinces. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13317. [PMID: 35922645 PMCID: PMC9349267 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17215-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper investigates the air quality in 107 Italian provinces in the period 2014-2019 and the association between exposure to nine outdoor air pollutants and the COVID-19 spread and related mortality in the same areas. The methods used were negative binomial (NB) regression, ordinary least squares (OLS) model, and spatial autoregressive (SAR) model. The results showed that (i) common air pollutants-nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10)-were highly and positively correlated with large firms, energy and gas consumption, public transports, and livestock sector; (ii) long-term exposure to NO2, PM2.5, PM10, benzene, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and cadmium (Cd) was positively and significantly correlated with the spread of COVID-19; and (iii) long-term exposure to NO2, O3, PM2.5, PM10, and arsenic (As) was positively and significantly correlated with COVID-19 related mortality. Specifically, particulate matter and Cd showed the most adverse effect on COVID-19 prevalence; while particulate matter and As showed the largest dangerous impact on excess mortality rate. The results were confirmed even after controlling for eighteen covariates and spatial effects. This outcome seems of interest because benzene, BaP, and heavy metals (As and Cd) have not been considered at all in recent literature. It also suggests the need for a national strategy to drive down air pollutant concentrations to cope better with potential future pandemics.
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Casey JA, Kioumourtzoglou MA, Ogburn EL, Melamed A, Shaman J, Kandula S, Neophytou A, Darwin KC, Sheffield JS, Gyamfi-Bannerman C. Long-Term Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations and Prevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: Differential Relationships by Socioeconomic Status Among Pregnant Individuals in New York City. Am J Epidemiol 2022; 191:1897-1905. [PMID: 35916364 PMCID: PMC9384549 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwac139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
We aimed to determine whether long-term ambient concentrations of fine particulate matter (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM2.5)) were associated with increased risk of testing positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among pregnant individuals who were universally screened at delivery and whether socioeconomic status (SES) modified this relationship. We used obstetrical data collected from New-York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, New York, between March and December 2020, including data on Medicaid use (a proxy for low SES) and COVID-19 test results. We linked estimated 2018-2019 PM2.5 concentrations (300-m resolution) with census-tract-level population density, household size, income, and mobility (as measured by mobile-device use) on the basis of residential address. Analyses included 3,318 individuals; 5% tested positive for COVID-19 at delivery, 8% tested positive during pregnancy, and 48% used Medicaid. Average long-term PM2.5 concentrations were 7.4 (standard deviation, 0.8) μg/m3. In adjusted multilevel logistic regression models, we saw no association between PM2.5 and ever testing positive for COVID-19; however, odds were elevated among those using Medicaid (per 1-μg/m3 increase, odds ratio = 1.6, 95% confidence interval: 1.0, 2.5). Further, while only 22% of those testing positive showed symptoms, 69% of symptomatic individuals used Medicaid. SES, including unmeasured occupational exposures or increased susceptibility to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) due to concurrent social and environmental exposures, may explain the increased odds of testing positive for COVID-19 being confined to vulnerable pregnant individuals using Medicaid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan A Casey
- Correspondence Address: Correspondence to Joan A. Casey, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th St, Rm 1206 New York, NY 10032-3727 ()
| | - Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, United States
| | - Elizabeth L Ogburn
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
| | - Alexander Melamed
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States
| | - Jeffrey Shaman
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, United States
| | - Sasikiran Kandula
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, United States
| | - Andreas Neophytou
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - Kristin C Darwin
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jeanne S Sheffield
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States,Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Health
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Sannigrahi S, Pilla F, Maiti A, Bar S, Bhatt S, Kaparwan A, Zhang Q, Keesstra S, Cerda A. Examining the status of forest fire emission in 2020 and its connection to COVID-19 incidents in West Coast regions of the United States. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 210:112818. [PMID: 35104482 PMCID: PMC8800502 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.112818] [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: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Forest fires impact on soil, water, and biota resources. The current forest fires in the West Coast of the United States (US) profoundly impacted the atmosphere and air quality across the ecosystems and have caused severe environmental and public health burdens. Forest fire led emissions could significantly exacerbate the air pollution level and, therefore, would play a critical role if the same occurs together with any epidemic and pandemic health crisis. Limited research is done so far to examine its impact in connection to the current pandemic. As of October 21, nearly 8.2 million acres of forest area were burned, with more than 25 casualties reported so far. In-situ air pollution data were utilized to examine the effects of the 2020 forest fire on atmosphere and coronavirus (COVID-19) casualties. The spatial-temporal concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) were collected from August 1 to October 30 for 2020 (the fire year) and 2019 (the reference year). Both spatial (Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression) and non-spatial (Negative Binomial Regression) analyses were performed to assess the adverse effects of fire emission on human health. The in-situ data-led measurements showed that the maximum increases in PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 concentrations (μg/m3) were clustered in the West Coastal fire-prone states during August 1 - October 30, 2020. The average concentration (μg/m3) of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and NO2 was increased in all the fire states severely affected by forest fires. The average PM2.5 concentrations (μg/m3) over the period were recorded as 7.9, 6.3, 5.5, and 5.2 for California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington in 2019, increasing up to 24.9, 13.4, 25.0, and 17.0 in 2020. Both spatial and non-spatial regression models exhibited a statistically significant association between fire emission and COVID-19 incidents. Such association has been demonstrated robust and stable by a total of 30 models developed for analyzing the spatial non-stationary and local association. More in-depth research is needed to better understand the complex relationship between forest fire emission and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srikanta Sannigrahi
- School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin Richview, Clonskeagh, Dublin, D14 E099, Ireland.
| | - Francesco Pilla
- School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin Richview, Clonskeagh, Dublin, D14 E099, Ireland
| | - Arabinda Maiti
- Department of Geography, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, West Bengal, India
| | - Somnath Bar
- Department of Geoinformatics, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi, India
| | - Sandeep Bhatt
- Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India
| | - Ankit Kaparwan
- Department of Statistics, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar, India
| | - Qi Zhang
- Department of Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Saskia Keesstra
- Team Soil, Water and Land Use, Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands; Civil, Surveying and Environmental Engineering and Centre for Water Security and Environmental Sustainability, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, 2308, Australia
| | - Artemi Cerda
- Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Department of Geography, Valencia University, Blasco Ibàñez, 28, 46010, Valencia, Spain
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Sun H, Yang X, Leng Z. Research on the spatial effects of haze pollution on public health: spatial-temporal evidence from the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomerations, China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:44422-44441. [PMID: 35133587 PMCID: PMC8824732 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19017-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Haze pollution poses a serious threat to residents' health. In this study, a spatial econometric model of environmental health was established to investigate the direction, intensity, and spatial-temporal heterogeneity of the impact of haze pollution and its spillover effects on public health in 26 cities of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomerations from 2005 to 2018. The study found that (1) PM2.5 pollution and public health level all show the characteristic of positive spatial correlation and spatial clustering. (2) Haze pollution is the main influencing factor of residents' public health level, with significant negative effects and obvious spillover effects. The urbanization rate, the number of health technicians, and the green area per capita have significant positive impacts on public health. (3) The spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the impact of haze pollution and other factors on public health is obvious. The negative correlation between PM2.5 pollution and public health in eastern cities is higher than that in other cities. Both urbanization rate and green area per capita have a greater positive impact on public health in the northeast of the Yangtze River Delta region. The improvement effect of the number of health technicians on the public health is stronger in the cities of Anhui Province. The research results of this paper provide certain support for the city governments to formulate targeted policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Sun
- School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074 China
- Resource and Environmental Economics Research Center, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074 China
| | - Xiaohui Yang
- School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074 China
| | - Zhihui Leng
- School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074 China
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11
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Tao Y, Zhang X, Qiu G, Spillmann M, Ji Z, Wang J. SARS-CoV-2 and other airborne respiratory viruses in outdoor aerosols in three Swiss cities before and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 164:107266. [PMID: 35512527 PMCID: PMC9060371 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107266] [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: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been affecting the world since the end of 2019. While virus-laden particles have been commonly detected and studied in the aerosol samples from indoor healthcare settings, studies are scarce on air surveillance of the virus in outdoor non-healthcare environments, including the correlations between SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses, between viruses and environmental factors, and between viruses and human behavior changes due to the public health measures against COVID-19. Therefore, in this study, we collected airborne particulate matter (PM) samples from November 2019 to April 2020 in Bern, Lugano, and Zurich. Among 14 detected viruses, influenza A, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-HKU1, and HCoV-229E were abundant in air. SARS-CoV-2 and enterovirus were moderately common, while the remaining viruses occurred only in low concentrations. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in PM10 (PM below 10 µm) samples of Bern and Zurich, and PM2.5 (PM below 2.5 µm) samples of Bern which exhibited a concentration positively correlated with the local COVID-19 case number. The concentration was also correlated with the concentration of enterovirus which raised the concern of coinfection. The estimated COVID-19 infection risks of an hour exposure at these two sites were generally low but still cannot be neglected. Our study demonstrated the potential functionality of outdoor air surveillance of airborne respiratory viruses, especially at transportation hubs and traffic arteries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yile Tao
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8093, Switzerland; Laboratory for Advanced Analytical Technologies, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Xiaole Zhang
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8093, Switzerland; Laboratory for Advanced Analytical Technologies, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Guangyu Qiu
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8093, Switzerland; Laboratory for Advanced Analytical Technologies, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Martin Spillmann
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8093, Switzerland; Laboratory for Advanced Analytical Technologies, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Zheng Ji
- School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8093, Switzerland; Laboratory for Advanced Analytical Technologies, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland.
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12
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Aloisi V, Gatto A, Accarino G, Donato F, Aloisio G. The effect of known and unknown confounders on the relationship between air pollution and Covid-19 mortality in Italy: A sensitivity analysis of an ecological study based on the E-value. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 207:112131. [PMID: 34619131 PMCID: PMC8487852 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Back in December 2019, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) started rapidly spreading worldwide, especially in Italy that was among the most affected countries. The geographical distribution of air pollution and Covid-19 mortality in Italy suggested atmospheric pollution as a worsening factor of severe Covid-19 health outcomes. The present nationwide ecological study focused on all 107 Italian territorial areas, aiming to assess the potential association between Particulate Matter concentration, less than 2.5 μm in diameter (exposure), and Covid-19 mortality rate (outcome) throughout 2020, by looking at 28 potential confounders. A potential positive association between exposure and outcome was observed when performing a multivariate regression analysis with a Negative Binomial model, suggesting that an increase of 1 μg/m3 in the exposure is associated with an increase of 9.0% (95% CI: 6.5%-11.6%) in the average Covid-19 mortality rate, conditional on all 28 potential confounders. A sensitivity analysis, based on the E-value, shows that a hypothetical unmeasured confounder would have to be associated with both PM2.5 concentration and Covid-19 mortality rate by a rate ratio of at least 1.40-fold each to explain away the exposure-outcome association, conditional on all 28 covariates included in the main analysis model. Moreover, the Observed Covariate E-value (OCE) was reported to provide a contextualization of the E-value on the observed covariates included in the study. The OCE sensitivity analysis shows that a set of unknown confounders similar in size and magnitude to the set of the considered climatic factors could potentially explain away the estimated exposure-outcome association. Consequently, the role of climatic factors in the Covid-19 pandemic is worth of further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Aloisi
- Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, Lecce, Italy; Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) Foundation, Via Augusto Imperatore, 16, 73100, Lecce, Italy.
| | - Andrea Gatto
- Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, Lecce, Italy; Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) Foundation, Via Augusto Imperatore, 16, 73100, Lecce, Italy.
| | - Gabriele Accarino
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, Lecce, Italy; Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) Foundation, Via Augusto Imperatore, 16, 73100, Lecce, Italy.
| | - Francesco Donato
- Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, Unit of Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Giovanni Aloisio
- Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, Lecce, Italy; Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) Foundation, Via Augusto Imperatore, 16, 73100, Lecce, Italy.
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13
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Leirião LFL, Debone D, Miraglia SGEK. Does air pollution explain COVID-19 fatality and mortality rates? A multi-city study in São Paulo state, Brazil. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:275. [PMID: 35286482 PMCID: PMC8918908 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-09924-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Since air pollution compromise the respiratory system and COVID-19 disease is caused by a respiratory virus, it is expected that air pollution plays an important role in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Exploratory studies have observed positive associations between air pollution and COVID-19 cases, deaths, fatality, and mortality rate. However, no study focused on Brazil, one of the most affected countries by the pandemic. Thus, this study aimed to understand how long-term exposure to PM10, PM2.5, and NO2 contributed to COVID-19 fatality and mortality rates in São Paulo state in 2020. Air quality data between 2015 and 2019 in 64 monitoring stations within 36 municipalities were considered. The COVID-19 fatality was calculated considering cases and deaths from the government's official data and the mortality rate was calculated considering the 2020 population. Linear regression models were well-fitted for PM2.5 concentration and fatality (R2 = 0.416; p = 0.003), NO2 concentration and fatality (R2 = 0.232; p = 0.005), and NO2 concentration and mortality (R2 = 0.273; p = 0.002). This study corroborates other authors' findings and enriches the discussion for having considered a longer time series to represent long-term exposure to the pollutants and for having considered one of the regions with the highest incidence of COVID-19 in the world. Thus, it reinforces measures to reduce the concentration of air pollutants which are essential for public health and will increase the chance to survive in future respiratory disease epidemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Ferreira Leite Leirião
- Laboratory of Economics, Health and Environmental Pollution, Institute of Environmental, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of São Paulo, R São Nicolau, 210, Cep 09913-030, SP, Diadema, Brazil.
| | - Daniela Debone
- Laboratory of Economics, Health and Environmental Pollution, Institute of Environmental, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of São Paulo, R São Nicolau, 210, Cep 09913-030, SP, Diadema, Brazil
| | - Simone Georges El Khouri Miraglia
- Laboratory of Economics, Health and Environmental Pollution, Institute of Environmental, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of São Paulo, R São Nicolau, 210, Cep 09913-030, SP, Diadema, Brazil
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Cifuentes-Faura J. Is Environmental Pollution Associated with an Increased Number of COVID-19 Cases in Europe? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:703. [PMID: 35055525 PMCID: PMC8775343 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19020703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented crisis, resulting in a global pandemic with millions infected and dying. Given the importance given to sustainability and the reduction in pollutant gases in recent years, the main objective of this study was to determine whether pollutant emissions are associated with an increased number of COVID-19 cases in Europe. Other demographic variables that may have an impact on the number of coronavirus cases, such as population density, average age or the level of restrictive policies implemented by governments, are also included. It has been shown that the emission of carbon monoxide pollutant gases and pollutant emissions from transport positively affect the incidence of COVID-19, so that the sustainable policy implemented in recent years in Europe should be reinforced, and tougher sanctions and measures should be imposed when pollution thresholds are exceeded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cifuentes-Faura
- Department of Financial Economics and Accounting, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
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15
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Lym Y, Kim KJ. Exploring the effects of PM 2.5 and temperature on COVID-19 transmission in Seoul, South Korea. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 203:111810. [PMID: 34343550 PMCID: PMC8324501 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
With a recent surge of the new severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2, COVID-19) in South Korea, this study attempts to investigate the effects of environmental conditions such as air pollutants (PM2.5) and meteorological covariate (Temperature) on COVID-19 transmission in Seoul. To account for unobserved heterogeneity in the daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 25 contiguous districts within Seoul, we adopt a full Bayesian hierarchical approach for the generalized linear mixed models. A formal statistical analysis suggests that there exists a positive correlation between a 7-day lagged effect of PM2.5 concentration and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, which implies an elevated risk of the infectious disease. Conversely, temperature has shown a negative correlation with the number of COVID-19 cases, leading to reduction in relative risks. In addition, we clarify that the random fluctuation in the relative risks of COVID-19 mainly originates from temporal aspects, whereas no significant evidence of variability in relative risks is observed in terms of spatial alignment of the 25 districts. Nevertheless, this study provides empirical evidence using model-based formal assessments regarding COVID-19 infection risks in 25 districts of Seoul from a different perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youngbin Lym
- Center for Innovation Strategy and Policy, KAIST, South Korea
| | - Ki-Jung Kim
- Department of Smart Car Engineering, Doowon Technical University, South Korea.
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16
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Marquès M, Domingo JL. Positive association between outdoor air pollution and the incidence and severity of COVID-19. A review of the recent scientific evidences. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 203:111930. [PMID: 34425111 PMCID: PMC8378989 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
In June 2020, we published a review focused on assessing the influence of various air pollutants on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and the severity of COVID-19 in patients infected by the coronavirus. The results of most of those reviewed studies suggested that chronic exposure to certain air pollutants might lead to more severe and lethal forms of COVID-19, as well as delays/complications in the recovery of the patients. Since then, a notable number of studies on this topic have been published, including also various reviews. Given the importance of this issue, we have updated the information published since our previous review. Taking together the previous results and those of most investigations now reviewed, we have concluded that there is a significant association between chronic exposure to various outdoor air pollutants: PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, SO2 and CO, and the incidence/risk of COVID-19 cases, as well as the severity/mortality of the disease. Unfortunately, studies on the potential influence of other important air pollutants such as VOCs, dioxins and furans, or metals, are not available in the scientific literature. In relation to the influence of outdoor air pollutants on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, although the scientific evidence is much more limited, some studies point to PM2.5 and PM10 as potential airborne transmitters of the virus. Anyhow, it is clear that environmental air pollution plays an important negative role in COVID-19, increasing its incidence and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Montse Marquès
- Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, School of Medicine, Sant Llorens 21, 43201, Reus, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - José L Domingo
- Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, School of Medicine, Sant Llorens 21, 43201, Reus, Catalonia, Spain
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Anser MK, Godil DI, Khan MA, Nassani AA, Zaman K, Abro MMQ. The impact of coal combustion, nitrous oxide emissions, and traffic emissions on COVID-19 cases: a Markov-switching approach. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:64882-64891. [PMID: 34322805 PMCID: PMC8318325 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15494-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread to more than 200 countries with a current case fatality ratio (CFR) of more than 2% globally. The concentration of air pollutants is considered a critical factor responsible for transmitting coronavirus disease among the masses. The photochemical process and coal combustions create respiratory disorders that lead to coronavirus disease. Based on the crucial fact, the study evaluated the impact of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, coal combustion, and traffic emissions on COVID-19 cases in a panel of 39 most affected countries of the world. These three air pollution factors are considered to form a lethal smog that negatively affects the patient's respiratory system, leading to increased susceptibility to coronavirus worldwide. The study used the Markov two-step switching regime regression model for obtaining parameter estimates. In contrast, an innovation accounting matrix is used to assess smog factors' intensity on possibly increasing coronavirus cases over time. The results show that N2O emissions, coal combustion, and traffic emissions increase COVID-19 cases in regime-1. On the other hand, N2O emissions significantly increase coronavirus cases in regime-2. The innovation accounting matrix shows that N2O emissions would likely have a more significant share of increasing coronavirus cases with a variance of 33.902%, followed by coal combustion (i.e., 6.643%) and traffic emissions (i.e., 2.008%) over the time horizon. The study concludes that air quality levels should be maintained through stringent environmental policies, such as carbon pricing, sustainable urban planning, green technology advancement, renewable fuels, and pollution less accessible vehicles. All these measures would likely decrease coronavirus cases worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Khalid Anser
- School of Public Administration, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an, 710000 China
| | | | - Muhammad Azhar Khan
- Department of Economics, University of Haripur, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 22620 Pakistan
| | - Abdelmohsen A. Nassani
- Department of Management, College of Business Administration, King Saud University, P.O. Box 71115, Riyadh, 11587 Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Zaman
- Department of Economics, University of Haripur, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 22620 Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Moinuddin Qazi Abro
- Department of Management, College of Business Administration, King Saud University, P.O. Box 71115, Riyadh, 11587 Saudi Arabia
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The Potential Impact of Smog Spell on Humans' Health Amid COVID-19 Rages. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182111408. [PMID: 34769924 PMCID: PMC8583367 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Rapid and unchecked industrialization and the combustion of fossil fuels have engendered a state of fear in urban settlements. Smog is a visible form of air pollution that arises due to the over-emissions of some primary pollutants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrocarbons, SO2, NO, and NO2 which further react in the atmosphere and give rise to toxic and carcinogenic secondary smog components. Smog reduces the visibility on roads and results in road accidents and cancellation of flights. Uptake of primary and secondary pollutants of smog is responsible for several deleterious diseases of which respiratory disorders, cardiovascular dysfunction, neurological disorders, and cancer are discussed here. Children and pregnant women are more prone to the hazards of smog. The worsening menace of smog on one hand and occurrence of pandemic i.e., COVID-19 on the other may increase the mortality rate. But the implementation of lockdown during pandemics has favored the atmosphere in some ways, which will be highlighted in the article. On the whole, the focus of this article will be on the dubious relationship between smog and coronavirus.
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Curtis L. PM 2.5, NO 2, wildfires, and other environmental exposures are linked to higher Covid 19 incidence, severity, and death rates. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:54429-54447. [PMID: 34410599 PMCID: PMC8374108 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15556-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies have linked outdoor levels of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, O3, SO2, and other air pollutants to significantly higher rates of Covid 19 morbidity and mortality, although the rate in which specific concentrations of pollutants increase Covid 19 morbidity and mortality varies widely by specific country and study. As little as a 1-μg/m3 increase in outdoor PM2.5 is estimated to increase rates of Covid 19 by as much as 0.22 to 8%. Two California studies have strongly linked heavy wildfire burning periods with significantly higher outdoor levels of PM2.5 and CO as well as significantly higher rates of Covid 19 cases and deaths. Active smoking has also been strongly linked significantly increased risk of Covid 19 severity and death. Other exposures possibly related to greater risk of Covid 19 morbidity and mortality include incense, pesticides, heavy metals, dust/sand, toxic waste sites, and volcanic emissions. The exact mechanisms in which air pollutants increase Covid 19 infections are not fully understood, but are probably related to pollutant-related oxidation and inflammation of the lungs and other tissues and to the pollutant-driven alternation of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in respiratory and other cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Curtis
- East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 5371 Knollwood Parkway Court #F, Hazelwood, MO, 63042, USA.
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Mele M, Magazzino C, Schneider N, Strezov V. NO 2 levels as a contributing factor to COVID-19 deaths: The first empirical estimate of threshold values. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 194:110663. [PMID: 33417906 PMCID: PMC7783466 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
This study represents the first empirical estimation of threshold values between nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations and COVID-19-related deaths in France. The concentration of NO2 linked to COVID-19-related deaths in three major French cities were determined using Artificial Neural Networks experiments and a Causal Direction from Dependency (D2C) algorithm. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential effects of NO2 in spreading the epidemic. The underlying hypothesis is that NO2, as a precursor to secondary particulate matter formation, can foster COVID-19 and make the respiratory system more susceptible to this infection. Three different neural networks for the cities of Paris, Lyon and Marseille were built in this work, followed by the application of an innovative tool of cutting the signal from the inputs to the selected target. The results show that the threshold levels of NO2 connected to COVID-19 range between 15.8 μg/m3 for Lyon, 21.8 μg/m3 for Marseille and 22.9 μg/m3 for Paris, which were significantly lower than the average annual concentration limit of 40 μg/m³ imposed by Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Mele
- University of Teramo, via R. Balzarini 1, 64100, Teramo, Italy.
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