Air Pollution Linked to Coronavirus Deaths in New Study

The first evidence of a link between air pollution and coronavirus deaths has been found by a preliminary study.

The areas with the highest levels of nitrogen oxides in the air in the UK also have higher numbers of deaths from COVID-19 - including London, the Midlands, and the north-west.

The scientists who carried out the study say that their findings still need to be peer-reviewed in order to establish a causal link, and to eliminate other factors such as the differences in income and age profiles between regions.

However, the researchers also believe that there is a pressing need to share information during the pandemic, as research has shown that air pollution levels led to higher numbers of deaths during the SARS outbreak back in 2003.

Miguel Martins, who led the new analysis at the University of Cambridge, said: “Our study adds to growing evidence from northern Italy and the US that high levels of air pollution are linked to deadlier cases of Covid-19.

“This is something we saw during the Sars outbreak back in 2003, where long-term exposure to air pollutants had a detrimental effect on the prognosis of patients in China. This highlights the importance of reducing air pollution for the protection of human health, both in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond”.

Other experts in the field say that it is not improbable that there is a link between air pollution and deaths from COVID-19, but warn that conclusions drawn from initial studies need to be handled with care.

Prof Mark Goldberg, of McGill University in Canada, said: “As epidemiologists we are very cautious about interpreting studies, as we have learned even in high-quality studies about hidden biases and simple random variability. When we try to assess causality, especially in non-randomised studies, we need about 20-30 really good studies.”

In the new research into the link between air pollution and COVID-19, the scientists write:  “Long-term exposure to air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides from car exhaust fumes or burning fossil fuels, is a known risk factor for these health conditions”.

The study showed that there was a correlation between the deaths reported in England up until 8 April, and the air pollution levels recorded in 2018 and 2019.

“Future and more detailed studies may further elucidate these observations by addressing potential confounders, including socioeconomic status, comorbidities, age, race and differences between regional health regulations and their intensive care unit capacities,” the researchers said.