Bad air full of dirt particles can damage the respiratory tract. A Sars-CoV-2 infection is often difficult, sometimes deadly. A US study has shown that there is a connection between pollution of the air, and Covid-19-deaths now.
In areas with high air pollution more people die from Covid-19 as elsewhere – the message itself may not be a surprise really. That fine dust and Smog pollute the respiratory tract and cause harm, is a well-studied fact. And also, that Covid-19-diseases run in people with previously damaged lung is often difficult and deadly, is now a proven certainty.
Bad air, many seriously ill patients, high medical need,
Nevertheless, the study, which was conducted at the School of Public Health, Harvard University, deserves the highest attention. It not only proves the high risk of the population living in air-polluted regions. It also shows, where health authorities and medical professionals on high the case of severe disease should gradients will be prepared, where so many hospital beds, intensive courses, and ventilation equipment required.
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The scientists from the field of medical statistics for this, the measured fine dust load in 3080 government districts (county) across the United States with the respective number of deaths due to Covid-19. Your model bill refers to data up to 4. April with a.
Reported corona virus cases in Germany (click on your state)
1 micrograms of fine-dust makes a difference
Taking into account various other risk variables, the Team led by Francesca Dominici came to the conclusion that The likelihood of death at Covid-19, is located in heavily polluted areas, by 15 percent higher than in regions with only a micro gram of fine dust per cubic meter of air.
A high level of air pollution has different causes: it is in the Central Valley of California due to intensive agriculture, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, by the exhaust gases of coal-fired power plants. In both regions, a disproportionately high number of severely ill Covid be expected-19-patients, predicts head of the study Dominici.
The investigation could not prove whether the pollution of the air also plays a role in the spread of the Sars-CoV-2-viruses, whether, for example, fine dust leads to more infections and diseases.
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Already in the case of Sars, air pollution played a tragic role
The fact is that microscopic pollution particles out of exhaust gases attack the lung tissue, unnoticed cause inflammation and this in the long term, reduce the ability to cope with infections of the respiratory tract ready. As a result, the risk for lung cancer or cardiovascular-increases illnesses and vulnerability to severe Covid-19-disease.
During the Sars epidemic in 2003, researchers found that in areas of China with high levels of air pollution are twice as many people died of the lung disease than in regions with cleaner air.
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High air standards, even after the pandemic is urgently needed
With a view to the future, the researchers say: “the results of The study underline how important it is, existing regulations with regard to the fine dust pollution for the protection of health during and after the Covid-19-crisis consistently enforce.”
In an article In the New York Times study will be addressed in the context of Harvard-the reduction in environmental provisions of the Trump-government, which should be reconsidered after this first study strongly. The easing of the requirements for the benefit of the industry in the US even without the Corona lead to a crisis of premature deaths, warns about the EPA. It has approved the relaxations, however, just himself, a concession to the domestic industry in the Corona-crisis. FOCUS Online/Wochit “don’t Know whether you are Serious”: Laschet drives Hayali in the ZDF-Interview