Until now, the available data linking air pollution to increased mortality from COVID-19 was limited.
However, a recent investigation has shown the percentage of deaths from COVID-19 based on the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in different regions of Spain, Italy, France and Germany. The study reveals that 78% of deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in regions with high levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution, while in regions with very low concentrations of this pollutant, hardly any deaths from COVID-19 are observed.
To understand this, one must know that nitrogen dioxide (NO2), emitted mainly by the combustion of motor vehicles and in power plants, damages people’s respiratory tracts. Dr. Yaron Ogen, author of the study, justifies that “since the new coronavirus also affects the respiratory tract, it is reasonable to assume that there could be a correlation between air pollution and the number of deaths from COVID-19.”