New Research Shows Disproportionate Rate of Coronavirus Deaths in Polluted Areas. The analysis examined air pollution and coronavirus deaths in the roughly 3,100 U.S. counties and found a close correlation between levels of hazardous pollutants and the per-capita death rate from COVID-19.
Because the virus affects the respiratory system, researchers have rushed to study the potential association between mortality rates and air pollution. Early studies, including one looking at the particulate matter — distinct from HAPs, but often found with them — have suggested a link.
Cancer Alley is the industrial corridor that runs from Baton Rouge to New Orleans across the Mississippi River and is dubbed "Cancer Alley" because of potential health threats associated with local chemical pollution. The case rate is very significant in this area.
Coronavirus patients are three times more likely to die from the disease in places with dirty air than those with clean air, according to a new study. The authors conclude that air pollution, which disproportionately affects Americans of color, will drive COVID higher (19% of all deaths). Researchers suggest that people in areas with the worst air pollution will have higher COVID rates than people with clean air. African Americans and other low-income populations living in heavily polluted areas are exposed to higher levels of PM 2.5 particles compared to less polluted areas, followed by stays in homes.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finding is particularly relevant because air pollution can exacerbate fundamental health problems that increase the likelihood of dying from COVID-19. This is in line with a recent Harvard study showing that there is a significant association between the number of people with Covid19 infection and the death rate from the infection. People living in areas of high air pollution are also at a higher risk of dying from COIDV-19 than those who do not, and that this is also the case for people living in low-income areas in the United States.
