The amount of air pollution in your city might determine the death rate due to Coronavirus. An increase in levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in the air might be responsible for the high mortality rate of Coronavirus. A group of researchers from MLU Halee-Wittenberg has performed this research. The study uses current data statistics of area wise air pollution and air currents. Because it compares them with deaths related to Coronavirus. It is seen that regions having a very high rate of pollution are seeing the adverse effects of the COVID-19.
How Air pollution affects Coronavirus death rate
The results, published in a Science journal, however, shows that it is Nitrogen Dioxide that is doing the damage. NO2 affects the respiratory tracts along with your lungs. Air pollution is responsible for causing cardiovascular ailments and respiratory problems in both, humans and animals.
The geoscientists, however, do not possess enough data to reach a solid conclusion. But the fact that air pollution affects the COVID-19 death rate is imminent.
The researchers took 3 data sets and mapped it with the pollution conditions of the United States of America. The study shows that the virus particulates vanish faster when the polluted air is in motion. This affects humans when the air is not in motion because the virus particulates are easily inhaled by humans. Using this dataset all pollution hotspots around the world are on red alert.
Wow. #Coronavirus lockdowns in Europe have cut NO2 air pollution nearly in half—down 45% in Madrid, Milan, and Rome, and 54% in Paris—between 13 March and 13 April.🌍🌞 pic.twitter.com/NP4Gm0yArF
— Dr. Dena Grayson (@DrDenaGrayson) April 16, 2020
Countries with a low level of pollution are not showing such adverse effects. The lockdown in effect helps put the air pollution under control. This, in turn, helps decrease the death rate. Countries like Italy and Spain have a very low amount of air pollution currently. This helps bring down the mortality rate due to Coronavirus.
Suryapratim Ray is an engineer, author, robotics hobbyist, and an active Quoran. Being a technical blogger, he covers the good, bad, and ugly of science on a regular basis at Sciencenews18. In addition to his passion for writing, he’s equally keen on learning classical music.