Local News

THE LENS: Studies show link between pollution and COVID-19 mortality

Where you live could determine how well you fare against COVID-19.

That was the conclusion of a recently published Harvard study that looked at air pollution state by state, and county by county (or, in Louisiana, parish by parish) and showed a compelling link between those areas with poor air quality, and this particular coronavirus’s mortality rates.

Kimberly Terrell, Ph.D. of the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic synthesized the numbers down for the state of Louisiana and noted that a small increase in long-term exposure to PM 2.5 (very small pollutant particles in the air) leads to a large increase in COVID-19 death rates.

“Your lungs are ground zero for this particular coronavirus,” said Terrell.  “So it stands to reason that anything which compromises your lungs would adversely affect your ability to resist an invading virus which targets your airways.”

For full article: https://thelensnola.org/2020/05/04/studies-show-link-between-pollution-and-covid-19-mortality/

Related Articles

Back to top button