Effects of chronic exposure to ambient air pollutants on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality - A lesson from OECD countries.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Exposure to ambient air pollution is related to 4.2 million premature deaths per year worldwide and is associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes, such as respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity. Furthermore, exposure to air pollution can increase human sensitivity to respiratory pathogens via damage to the respiratory tract or via airborne transmission on the surface of particulate matter, and might be an additional factor influencing COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates. The aim of this study was to examine the association between populations' exposure to air pollution and the morbidity and mortality rates from COVID-19.

Methods

We examined the association between population-weighted long-term exposure to PM_2.5 and NOx, and the morbidity

SUBMITTER: Barnett-Itzhaki Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7826117 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature