Covid-19 Risks
Air pollution spreads Covid-19 and other diseases
Reduce air pollution to save millions of lives.
A frightening link has been established showing air pollution is a transport medium for the Covid-19 virus. Those in areas with worse air pollution are far more at risk of dying due to viruses like Covid-19, which attach to the particulate matter. These spread easily and far in the air, and being so small are also more easily ingested to penetrate deep into the body.
The transport sector is second only to energy production for being responsible for air pollution. It is a dominant factor, and (avoidable) traffic congestion is a significant part.
Quite apart from the new and uncomfortable revelation on Covid-19, air pollution already kills 7 million deaths a year as it is, not even counting Covid-19 air pollution related deaths.
To save more human life years, we should reduce air pollution. Reducing traffic congestion (not just traffic) can save millions of people. The time to act is now, and Neomatrix has several novel solutions to assist in reducing traffic congestion.
Air pollution may be ‘key contributor’ to Covid-19 deaths – study
theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/20/air-pollution-may-be-key-contributor-to-covid-19-deaths-study
Air Pollution, COVID-19 and Earth Day. The Trump Administration wants to scale back on Clean Air Act, as we learn that places with more pollution have more coronavirus deaths blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/air-pollution-covid-19-and-earth-day
Air pollution reduction and mortality benefit during the COVID-19 outbreak in China thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(20)30107-8/fulltext
Exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in the United States: A nationwide cross-sectional study
Objectives: United States government scientists estimate that COVID-19 may kill tens of thousands of Americans. Many of the pre-existing conditions that increase the risk of death in those with COVID-19 are the same diseases that are affected by long-term exposure to air pollution. We investigated whether long-term average exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 death in the United States. Design: A nationwide, cross-sectional study using county-level data.
Results: We found that an increase of only 1 μg/m3 in PM2.5 is associated with an 8% increase in the COVID-19 death rate (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2%, 15%). The results were statistically significant and robust to secondary and sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: A small increase in long-term exposure to PM2.5 leads to a large increase in the COVID-19 death rate. medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.05.20054502v2
COVID-19 lockdowns significantly impacting global air quality sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200511124444.htm
How air pollution exacerbates Covid-19
There’s a murky relationship between air pollution and coronavirus, which may mean that tackling air pollution will be a crucial part of easing lockdown.
Researchers in the US are building a case that suggests air pollution has significantly worsened the Covid-19 outbreak and led to more deaths than if pollution-free skies were the norm. As well as predisposing the people who have lived with polluted air for decades, scientists have also suggested that air pollution particles may be acting as vehicles for viral transmission.
These new findings could have a significant impact on how governments choose to ease lockdowns in the coming months, as scientists say that improving air quality could play an important role in overcoming the pandemic. bbc.com/future/article/20200427-how-air-pollution-exacerbates-covid-19
Poor air quality has been linked to Covid-19 impacts. Trump's EPA is still limiting pollution restrictions. cnn.com/2020/05/01/politics/trump-epa-air-pollution-regulations-coronavirus/index.html
Air Pollution May Make COVID-19 Symptoms Worse
Research linking air pollution to elevated death rates remains preliminary but scientists hope the pandemic spurs tighter air quality regulations
Are you more likely to die of covid-19 if you live in a polluted area?
Pollution made COVID-19 worse. Now, lockdowns are clearing the air.
Even before the coronavirus, air pollution killed seven million people a year. Will today's cleaner air inspire us to do better? nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/pollution-made-the-pandemic-worse-but-lockdowns-clean-the-sky
And hundreds more articles... linking COvid-19 to air pollution.
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22covid-19%22+air+pollution