Coronavirus: Long-term exposure to air pollution 'linked to 15 per cent global COVID deaths'

Studies in Europe and the US have established that long-term exposure to air pollution can contribute to mortality in COVID-19 cases

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About 15 per cent of COVID-19 deaths worldwide may be linked to long-term exposure to air pollution, a new study has revealed. Researchers have found that in Europe the proportion of COVID-19 deaths linked to air pollution was about 19 per cent, in North America, it was 17 per cent, and in East Asia about 27 per cent. " There have been studies in Europe and the US, where they have look at polluted areas and compared mortality during lockdown and correlation with air pollution... they found that pollution is clearly contributing to mortality in COVID-19 and that's well established by these studies," ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said at a press conference.

The study was published in the journal Cardiovascular Research, which is one of the first studies that has estimated the proportion of deaths from the coronavirus that could be attributed to the high level of air pollution for every country around the world. The team of researchers noted that these proportions are an estimate of the traction of COVID-19 deaths that could be avoided if humans are exposed to lower levels of pollutants in the air that they are breathing.

Pollution increases mortality rates

It is well-proven that pollution is related to mortality, Bhargava said and asserted that the most inexpensive prevention for COVID-19 and pollution is rapid and widespread adoption of wearing masks. Highlighting the high level of air pollution that the country suffers every winter, the experts have warned that this can be a reason for the COVID-19 pandemic to aggravate. "Every winter, the air quality in north India, including in Delhi, dips to a dangerous low. This is concerning and can aggravate the COVID-19 pandemic", Bhargava added. "Following COVID-appropriate behaviour, be it wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, respiratory etiquette, and hand hygiene, do not cost us anything. Wearing a mask has a double advantage as it can protect one from COVID-19 as well as from pollution," the ICMR chief further added.

But this is not the only thing that increases the risk of death

The researchers highlighted that attributing COVID-19 deaths to air pollution did not mean that pollution can alone be the core reason for killing people with COVID -- though they didn't rule out such a cause-effect linkage. Jos Lelieveld, of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, told the media that the research has suggested that "the pollution particles are an important co-factor in aggravating the disease". Lelieveld further said that "Air pollution would continue to kill huge numbers of people even after the pandemic recedes. The pandemic ends with the vaccination of the population or with herd immunity through extensive infection of the population.

(With inputs from Agencies)