How Air Pollution Exacerbates COVID-19? Op-ed

People living with poor air quality may be more susceptible to COVID-19 disease, and airborne particulate matter may help to spread the virus, according to Dr. Magdy Badran

Air pollution has myriad effects on pulmonary immune responses. Air pollution can worsen asthma symptoms and allergic rhinitis.

Clean Air

Air pollution falls by unprecedented levels in major global cities during coronavirus lockdowns. The coronavirus pandemic has led to an increase in air quality all around the world. Lockdowns have resulted in factories and roads shutting, thus reducing emissions. To contain the coronavirus pandemic, billions of people have been told to stay at home. The restrictions have given residents in some of the world’s most polluted cities something they have not experienced in years: clean air.

In China, authorities placed almost half a billion people under lockdown, the equivalent of nearly 7% of the world’s population. As China seeks to control the spread of COVID-19, fewer cars are driving, fewer factories are running, and — in some places — skies are clearer. Air pollution levels have dropped by roughly a quarter over a month. Levels of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant primarily from burning fossil fuels, were down as much as 30.

In early March, South Korea reported a large increase in COVID-19 cases. Since then, ground stations have been measuring the lowest levels of some pollutants for seven years. Although South Korea did not impose major restrictions on residents, changes in daily activity could have contributed to the drop.

Many other countries have since taken similar measures, initially in hard-hit Italy and Spain, and more recently in the United States and India.

Air Pollution Particles May Carry Coronavirus

Coronavirus has been detected on particles of air pollution. It is not yet known if coronavirus could be carried over longer distances and increase the number of people infected. It is not yet known if the virus remains viable on pollution particles and in sufficient quantity to cause disease.

The Italian scientists used standard techniques to collect outdoor air pollution samples at one urban and one industrial site in Bergamo province and identified a gene highly specific to COVID-19 in multiple samples. The detection was confirmed by blind testing at an independent laboratory. Air pollution particles could help coronavirus travel further in the air. Higher levels of particle pollution could explain higher rates of infection in parts of northern Italy before a lockdown was imposed.

Air Pollution Increases COVID-19 Death Rates

There is a clear link between long-term exposure to pollution and COVID-19 death rates. Coronavirus patients in areas that had high levels of air pollution before the pandemic are more likely to die from the infection than patients in cleaner parts.

Long-term exposure to air pollution increases vulnerability to experiencing the most severe COVID-19 outcomes. An analysis of 3,080 counties in the United States, found that higher levels of the tiny, dangerous particles in the air known as PM 2.5 were associated with higher death rates from the COVID-19 disease.

Polluted Air Kills 7 Million Annually

Air pollution is a major environmental risk to health, mood, productivity, and learning. Nine out of ten people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants and around 7 million people die every year from exposure to polluted air.

Air pollution is a broad term applied to any chemical, physical, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. It is typically separated into two categories: outdoor air pollution and indoor air pollution.

Nitrate is one of the components that make up PM2.5, tiny particles, about 3% of the diameter of human hair, that can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, leading to heart disease, strokes, or cancer. Nitrate aerosols are formed from nitrogen compounds, which can be emitted by human activities, especially burning fuel and diesel. Some of the major sources of nitrogen dioxide are vehicle exhausts, power plants, and wastewater treatment plants.

Indoor Air Pollution

Beyond improvements in outdoor air quality, scientists are also curious how lockdowns have affected indoor air quality, with millions of people staying at home for far longer than usual. As we continue to talk about improvements in outdoor air quality, people are spending a lot more time indoors and the exposure patterns for indoor air pollution might be different at this time too.

Particulate matter is the general term used for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air. It includes aerosols, smoke, fumes, dust, ash, and pollen. Fine particulate matter is particulate matter that is 2.5 microns in diameter and less. It is also known as PM2.5 or respirable particles because it penetrates the respiratory system further than larger particles.

Indoor air pollution maybe two to five times worse (sometimes a 100x worse) than the air outdoors. Some people cook and heat their homes with biomass, kerosene fuels, and coal. They have high levels of indoor air pollution and an increase in the incidence of respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Cigarette Smoke and COVID-19

 

Air pollution in smokers’ homes can reach outdoor levels in the worst cities. Cigarette smoke may produce 10 times more air pollution than diesel car exhaust. Environmental tobacco smoke produces fine particulate matter. For outdoor air, the World Health Organization says the safe exposure limit for PM2.5 particles is an average of 25 micrograms, or 25 millionths of a gram, per cubic meter of air over a 24-hour period, or average annual levels of 10 micrograms per cubic meter. Over a lifetime, a non-smoker living with a smoker will inhale about 6 grams more particulate matter than a non-smoker living in a smoke-free home.

Tobacco use may increase the risk of suffering from serious symptoms due to COVID-19 illness. Early research indicates that, compared to non-smokers, having a history of smoking may substantially increase the chance of adverse health outcomes for COVID-19 patients, including being admitted to intensive care, requiring mechanical ventilation, and suffering severe health consequences.

Smoking is already known to be a risk factor for many other respiratory infections, including colds, influenza, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. The effects of smoking on the respiratory system makes it more likely that smokers contract these diseases, which could be more severe. Smoking is also associated with increased development of acute respiratory distress syndrome, a key complication for severe cases of COVID-19, among people with severe respiratory infections.

Tobacco smoking is harmful to bodily systems, including the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. COVID-19 can also harm these systems. People who have cardiovascular and respiratory conditions caused by tobacco use are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms. A weaker cardiovascular system among COVID-19 patients with a history of tobacco use could make such patients more vulnerable to severe symptoms, thereby increasing the risk for those patients.