COVID-19 incidence rate was significantly associated with chronic exposure to PM2.5 and PM10. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Long-Term Exposure to Fine and Coarse Particulate Matter and COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality Rate in Chile during 2020.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 11 ;18(14). Epub 2021 Jul 11. PMID: 34299859
Macarena Valdés Salgado
BACKGROUND: Several countries have documented the relationship between long-term exposure to air pollutants and epidemiological indicators of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as incidence and mortality. This study aims to explore the association between air pollutants, such as PMand PM, and the incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19 during 2020.
METHODS: The incidence and mortality rates were estimated using the COVID-19 cases and deaths from the Chilean Ministry of Science, and the population size was obtained from the Chilean Institute of Statistics. A chemistry transport model was used to estimate the annual mean surface concentration of PMand PMin a period before the current pandemic. Negative binomial regressions were used to associate the epidemiological information with pollutant concentrations while considering demographic and social confounders.
RESULTS: For each microgram per cubic meter, the incidence rate increased by 1.3% regarding PMand 0.9% regarding PM. There was no statistically significant relationship between the COVID-19 mortality rate and PMor PM.
CONCLUSIONS: The adjusted regression models showed that the COVID-19 incidence rate was significantly associated with chronic exposure to PMand PM, even after adjusting for other variables.