Estimating long-term average household air pollution concentrations from repeated short-term measurements in the presence of seasonal trends and crossover

Abstract Background Air pollution is one of the world’s leading mortality risk factors contributing to seven million deaths annually. COVID-19 pandemic has claimed about one million deaths in less than a year. However, it is unclear whether exposure to acute and chronic air pollution influences the COVID-19 epidemiologic curve. Methods We searched for relevant studies listed in six electronic databases between December 2019 and September 2020. We applied no language or publication status limits. Studies presented as original articles, studies that assessed risk, incidence, prevalence, or lethality of COVID-19 in relation with exposure to either short-term or long-term exposure to ambient air pollution were included. All patients regardless of age, sex and location diagnosed as having COVID-19 of any severity were taken into consideration. We synthesised results using harvest plots based on effect direction. Results Included studies were cross-sectional (n = 10), retrospective cohorts (n = 9), ecological (n = 6 of which two were time-series) and hypothesis (n = 1). Of these studies, 52 and 48% assessed the effect of short-term and long-term pollutant exposure, respectively and one evaluated both. Pollutants mostly studied were PM2.5 (64%), NO2 (50%), PM10 (43%) and O3 (29%) for acute effects and PM2.5 (85%), NO2 (39%) and O3 (23%) then PM10 (15%) for chronic effects. Most assessed COVID-19 outcomes were incidence and mortality rate. Acutely, pollutants independently associated with COVID-19 incidence and mortality were first PM2.5 then PM10, NO2 and O3 (only for incident cases). Chronically, similar relationships were found for PM2.5 and NO2. High overall risk of bias judgments (86 and 39% in short-term and long-term exposure studies, respectively) was predominantly due to a failure to adjust aggregated data for important confounders, and to a lesser extent because of a lack of comparative analysis. Conclusion The body of evidence indicates that both acute and chronic exposure to air pollution can affect COVID-19 epidemiology. The evidence is unclear for acute exposure due to a higher level of bias in existing studies as compared to moderate evidence with chronic exposure. Public health interventions that help minimize anthropogenic pollutant source and socio-economic injustice/disparities may reduce the planetary threat posed by both COVID-19 and air pollution pandemics.

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Correction: Neighbourhood Characteristics and Long-Term Air Pollution Levels Modify the Association between the Short-Term Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations and All-Cause Mortality in Paris

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0150875 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. e0150875 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Séverine Deguen ◽

Claire Petit ◽

Angélique Delbarre ◽

Wahida Kihal ◽

Cindy Padilla ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Nitrogen Dioxide ◽

Short Term ◽

Pollution Levels ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Neighbourhood Characteristics

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Short-term exposure to air pollution (PM2.5) induces hypothalamic inflammation, and long-term leads to leptin resistance and obesity via Tlr4/Ikbke in mice

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-67040-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Clara Machado Campolim ◽

Lais Weissmann ◽

Clílton Kraüss de Oliveira Ferreira ◽

Olivia Pizetta Zordão ◽

Ana Paula Segantine Dornellas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Leptin Resistance ◽

Short Term ◽

Short Term Exposure ◽

Hypothalamic Inflammation

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Effects of air pollution on children from a socioecological perspective

BMC Pediatrics ◽

10.1186/s12887-019-1815-x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jong In Kim ◽

Gukbin Kim ◽

Yeonja Choi

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Life Expectancy ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Solid Fuel ◽

Resource Depletion ◽

Short Term ◽

Environmental Threats ◽

Country Level ◽

Per Capita

Abstract Background Country-level inequality in life expectancy (ILE) and deaths of children under age five due to air pollution (DCAP) can be influenced by country-level income per capita, solid fuel, electrification, and natural resource depletion. The ILE and DCAP in the short-term are useful indicators that can help in developing ways to reduce environmental threats. This study confirms evidence for ILE and DCAP as the effects of environmental threats by country-level income, energy, and natural resource levels from a socioecological approach. Methods This study based on life expectancy and children data on 164 countries acquired from the United Nations Development Programme. We obtained the country-level socioecological data from the United Nations and the World Bank database. We assessed the associations between ILE, DCAP, and the country-level indicators applying correlations coefficient and the regression models. Results These study findings showed considerable correlations between ILE and country-level socioecological indicators: gross national income per capita (GNI), non-solid fuel (NSF), electrification rate (ER), and natural resource depletion (NRD). The DCAP in short-term predictors were low NSF and low ER (R2 = 0.552), and ILE predictors were low GNI, NSF, and ER and higher NRD (R2 = 0.816). Thus, the countries with higher incomes and electrification rates and more sustainable natural resources had lower expected DCAP in the short-term and ILE in the long-term. Conclusions Based on our results, we confirmed that country-level income, energy, and natural resource indicators had important effects on ILE in long-term and DCAP in short-term. We recommend that countries consider targeting high standards of living and national incomes, access to non-solid fuel and electricity as energy sources, and sustainable natural resources to reduce ILE and DCAP in short-term.

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Short-term and long-term health impacts of air pollution reductions from COVID-19 lockdowns in China and Europe: a modelling study

The Lancet Planetary Health ◽

10.1016/s2542-5196(20)30224-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (10) ◽

pp. e474-e482 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Paolo Giani ◽

Stefano Castruccio ◽

Alessandro Anav ◽

Don Howard ◽

Wenjing Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Health Impacts ◽

Short Term ◽

Modelling Study

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Effects of meteorology and emissions on urban air quality: a quantitative statistical approach to long-term records (1999–2016) in Seoul, South Korea

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-18-16121-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (21) ◽

pp. 16121-16137 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Jihoon Seo ◽

Doo-Sun R. Park ◽

Jin Young Kim ◽

Daeok Youn ◽

Yong Bin Lim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

South Korea ◽

Meteorological Conditions ◽

Meteorological Variables ◽

Urban Air ◽

Short Term ◽

Long Term Trends ◽

Local Emissions

Abstract. Together with emissions of air pollutants and precursors, meteorological conditions play important roles in local air quality through accumulation or ventilation, regional transport, and atmospheric chemistry. In this study, we extensively investigated multi-timescale meteorological effects on the urban air pollution using the long-term measurements data of PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3 and meteorological variables over the period of 1999–2016 in Seoul, South Korea. The long-term air quality data were decomposed into trend-free short-term components and long-term trends by the Kolmogorov–Zurbenko filter, and the effects of meteorology and emissions were quantitatively isolated using a multiple linear regression with meteorological variables. In terms of short-term variability, intercorrelations among the pollutants and meteorological variables and composite analysis of synoptic meteorological fields exhibited that the warm and stagnant conditions in the migratory high-pressure system are related to the high PM10 and primary pollutant, while the strong irradiance and low NO2 by high winds at the rear of a cyclone are related to the high O3. In terms of long-term trends, decrease in PM10 (−1.75 µg m−3 yr−1) and increase in O3 (+0.88 ppb yr−1) in Seoul were largely contributed by the meteorology-related trends (−0.94 µg m−3 yr−1 for PM10 and +0.47 ppb yr−1 for O3), which were attributable to the subregional-scale wind speed increase. Comparisons with estimated local emissions and socioeconomic indices like gross domestic product (GDP) growth and fuel consumptions indicate probable influences of the 2008 global economic recession as well as the enforced regulations from the mid-2000s on the emission-related trends of PM10 and other primary pollutants. Change rates of local emissions and the transport term of long-term components calculated by the tracer continuity equation revealed a decrease in contributions of local emissions to the primary pollutants including PM10 and an increase in contributions of local secondary productions to O3. The present results not only reveal an important role of synoptic meteorological conditions on the episodic air pollution events but also give insights into the practical effects of environmental policies and regulations on the long-term air pollution trends. As a complementary approach to the chemical transport modeling, this study will provide a scientific background for developing and improving effective air quality management strategy in Seoul and its metropolitan area.

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Assessing the accuracy of long-term air pollution estimates produced with temporally adjusted short-term observations from unstructured sampling

Journal of Environmental Management ◽

10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.03.108 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 240 ◽

pp. 249-258 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Karl Chastko ◽

Matthew Adams

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Short Term

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The Effects of Air Pollution on COVID-19 Infection and Mortality—A Review on Recent Evidence

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2020.580057 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Nurshad Ali ◽

Farjana Islam

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Nitrogen Dioxide ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Health Concern ◽

Public Health Concern ◽

Short Term ◽

The World ◽

Harmful Effects

The outbreak of COVID-19 has created a serious public health concern worldwide. Although, most of the regions around the globe have been affected by COVID-19 infections; some regions are more badly affected in terms of infections and fatality rates than others. The exact reasons for such variations are not clear yet. This review discussed the possible effects of air pollution on COVID-19 infections and mortality based on some recent evidence. The findings of most studies reviewed here demonstrate that both short-term and long-term exposure to air pollution especially PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) may contribute significantly to higher rates of COVID-19 infections and mortalities with a lesser extent also PM10. A significant correlation has been found between air pollution and COVID-19 infections and mortality in some countries in the world. The available data also indicate that exposure to air pollution may influence COVID-19 transmission. Moreover, exposure to air pollution may increase vulnerability and have harmful effects on the prognosis of patients affected by COVID-19 infections. Further research should be conducted considering some potential confounders such as age and pre-existing medical conditions along with exposure to NO2, PM2.5 and other air pollutants to confirm their detrimental effects on mortalities from COVID-19.

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Long-Term Strategies in Japanese Environmental Litigation

Law & Social Inquiry ◽

10.1111/j.1747-4469.1993.tb00752.x ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 18 (04) ◽

pp. 605-627 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Robert L. Kidder ◽

Setsuo Miyazawa

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Social Movement ◽

Legal System ◽

Class Action ◽

Special Role ◽

Hostile Environment ◽

Short Term ◽

The Many

Japan's reputation for unusually strong emphasis on the avoidance of public conflict and therefore for deemphasis of legal institutions suggests an arid, hostile environment for litigators, especially those who lack substantial resources. In a study of a quasi-class action lawsuit by Japanese air pollution victims, we find that litigation can be developed as a tool in the pursuit of a social movement's wider objectives despite the paucity of resources within the Japanese legal system. Our research documents the many ways in which the delays, obstacles, and costs that characterize the litigation environment in Japan have been either neutralized or turned to the advantage of a social movement because of its commitment to longer-term political objectives rather than short-term victories. The special role of professions in general, and the legal profession in particular, in such litigation combines with class-oriented social movements to produce a political/legal pattern that is neither traditionally harmonious nor a conflict “difficult to contain.”

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