Possibly hundreds of additional corona deaths due to poor air quality | Domestic

Residents of areas with poor air quality were not only at greater risk of death after contamination. They were also more likely to contract the virus in the first place. In addition, their corona complaints were worse.

This is evident from research by the umbrella organization GGD GHOR, the RIVM and the universities of Utrecht and Wageningen. The researchers studied corona infections, hospital admissions and deaths between the beginning of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. This concerns the period from the outbreak to the start of the vaccination campaign.

During that period, more than 760,000 people tested positive for corona. More than 31,000 people also ended up in hospital with corona complaints. Nearly 22,500 patients died. If the air quality had been average in the regions with poor air quality, the situation would have been different. According to the research, it would have saved 6,000 to 13,500 infections. There would also have been approximately 1,100 fewer hospital admissions. And it would have led to 400 to 800 fewer deaths.

The study compared regions with poor air quality with places where air quality was better. The researchers did not explicitly look at which regions were involved. They did investigate three important sources of particulate matter that influence air pollution: agriculture, traffic and industry. They note that livestock farming and traffic in particular influenced the higher risk of corona and serious illness. What effect the industry had is more difficult to determine.

It is not the case that people contracted corona due to poor air quality. This happened through human contact, the researchers emphasize. But if people inhale particulate matter and it enters the lungs, they can eventually suffer from lung complaints and cardiovascular disease. People who live in polluted air are also more susceptible to respiratory infections. This can lead to poorer health.

The researchers see the results as confirmation that cleaner air is important for public health. “Cleaner air will not prevent a future epidemic that affects the respiratory tract,” they warn. “Cleaner air can reduce the adverse effects of an epidemic.”

Due to the results of the study, GGD calls on GHOR to do more about air quality. The body urges municipalities and the government to take more measures. This concerns, for example, “less and cleaner traffic, competitive permits for companies and limiting wood burning,” says a spokesperson.

The umbrella organization calls on municipalities to join the Clean Air Agreement. In that agreement, parties such as the government, the provinces and more than a hundred municipalities have agreed to improve air quality in order to achieve health benefits.

According to the GGDs, air pollution after smoking is one of the greatest threats to the health of Dutch people. Polluted air increases the risk of airborne diseases, GGD GHOR warns. This includes asthma in children and cardiovascular disease in adults.