Scientists from T.Kh. Chan and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the US have confirmed that people who are exposed to air pollution for extended periods of time are more likely to die from COVID-19. The reason for the increase in mortality from coronavirus is reported in an article published in the journal Science Advances.
The researchers analyzed daytime air conditions and mortality rates for those infected with the coronavirus in more than three thousand counties in the United States. It turned out that even a small increase in the concentration of fine particles in the air (PM2.5) by one microgram per cubic meter increased the risk of death by 10 percent. The researchers note that the quarantine measures helped reduce air pollution and could reduce the death rate from COVID-19, but now the concentration of particles has risen again, returning to previous levels.
The study's findings support other scientists' findings that PM2.5 makes the lungs more vulnerable to respiratory infections, including the flu, the common cold, and SARS caused by coronaviruses. Gases such as nitrogen dioxide have a similar effect.
In October, it was reported that scientists at Emory University in the United States found a correlation between the concentration of nitrogen dioxide and the likelihood of dying from COVID-19. A 4.6 ppb increase in nitrogen dioxide in air is associated with an increase in mortality and fatality rates of 16.2 and 11.3 percent, respectively.
