The effects of contemporaneous air pollution on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.

ABSTRACT: We examine the relationship between contemporaneous fine particulate matter exposure and COVID-19 morbidity and mortality using an instrumental variable approach. Harnessing daily changes in county-level wind direction, we show that arguably exogenous fluctuations in local air quality impact the incidence of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths. We find that a one μ g/m 3 increase in PM 2.5, or 15% of the average PM 2.5 concentration in a county, increases the number of same-day confirmed cases by 1.8% from the mean case incidence in a county. A one μ g/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 increases the same-day death rate by just over 4% from the mean. These effects tend to increase in magnitude over longer time horizons and are robust to a host of sensitivity tests. When analyzing potential mecha

SUBMITTER: Austin W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10073864 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature