Influence of air pollution and meteorological parameters on COVID-19: An overview

The spread of Covid-19 has been rampant across the globe, and studies have indicated a connection between the spike in infection and air pollution. The literature review has shown that the link between the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing the disease and air pollutants is still inconclusive. Current evidence from the studies point out two main contributing mechanisms for the spread of the virus: (1) the weakening of the human natural defence mechanism by the air pollutants facilitates virus entry and replication; (2) particulate matter facilitates the airborne transport of vectors. Meteorological parameters also play a significant role in the transmission of the virus. Ultraviolet radiation was negatively correlated with the number of COVID-19 cases, while wind speed was positively correlated. Temperature and humidity increases were associated with a decrease in the number of infections. Some studies have also shown no relationship between humidity and COVID-19 case numbers. Similarly, rainfall predominantly showed no significant correlation. More studies in this area are suggested to further understand the air pollutants effect on the virus, its interaction and the influence of meteorological parameters.

Nontargeted mass-spectral detection of chloroperfluoropolyether carboxylates in New Jersey soils

The toxicity and environmental persistence of anthropogenic per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of global concern. To address legacy PFAS concerns in the United States, industry developed numerous replacement PFAS that commonly are treated as confidential information. To investigate the distribution of PFAS in New Jersey, soils collected from across the state were subjected to nontargeted mass-spectral analyses. Ten chloroperfluoropolyether carboxylates were tentatively identified, with at least three congeners in all samples. Nine congeners are ≥(CF2)7. Distinct chemical formulas and structures, as well as geographic distribution, suggest airborne transport from an industrial source. Lighter congeners dispersed more widely than heavier congeners, with the most widely dispersed detected in an in-stock New Hampshire sample. Additional data were used to develop a legacy-PFAS fingerprint for historical PFAS sources in New Jersey.

Wind erosion of microplastics from soils: implications for microplastic dispersal and distribution

<p>Microplastics have potentially deleterious effects on environments and ecosystems.  The main research focus for translocation of microplastics has been via water, however recent studies of soils in the Alps and Middle East indicate airborne transport following wind erosion may also be significant.  This paper reports wind tunnel studies to determine the extent to which two types of low density microplastic (microbeads and fibres) may be preferentially transported from different substrates – a well-sorted quartz sand and a poorly-sorted soil containing 13% organics.  The polyethylene microbeads had a size range of 212-250 microns and density of 1.2 g cm<sup>3</sup>.  The polyester fibres were 5000 microns long and 500-1000 microns in width with a density of 1.38 g cm<sup>3</sup>.  Concentrations of microplastics in the initial wind tunnel bed ranged from 40-1040 mg kg<sup>-1</sup> and the wind tunnel was used to determine the wind speeds at which intermittent and continuous saltation occurred using 0.25 m s<sup>-1</sup> increments.  Microplastics were entrained for all experiments regardless of the type of microplastic or substrate but the threshold for entrainment was higher for soils (>10.8 m s<sup>-1</sup>) than for the sand bed (>6.9 m s<sup>-1</sup>).  The lowest enrichment ratios (ER) for microplastics were associated with the entrainment of beads from the soil bed (ER = 0.5-7) whilst the highest ERs were found for fibres entrained from the soil bed (ER 100 - >1000).  Overall fibres were more likely to be entrained by wind than beads.  The data will subsequently be used to explore the microplastic concentrations and emissions at source required to account for reported microplastic deposition at sink locations.</p>

Exotic airborne bacteria identified in urban resuspended dust by next generation sequencing

The airborne transport of bacteria is a well-known phenomenon, making it possible to exchange species between ecosystems, but it also provides a tool for spreading of pathogenic microorganisms. As part of a large-scale study, microbial community of inhalable and respirable fractions (PM1-10) of resuspended dust collected in Budapest (Hungary) has been characterised by culture-independent next generation sequencing (NGS) of variable 16S rRNA gene regions. Apart from common, mostly ubiqituos soil and organic material-dwelling bacteria, exotic airborne species have been identified, such as Variovorax ginsengisoli, previously isolated from Korean ginseng fields or Exiguobacterium sibiricum, isolated from the Siberian permafrost.