Urban Air Pollution Exposure Impact on COVID-19 Transmission in a Few Metropolitan Regions

Maria Zoran (), Roxana Radvan, Dan Savastru and Marina Tautan
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Maria Zoran: ITC Department, National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, 409 Atomistilor Street, MG5, 077125 Magurele, Romania
Roxana Radvan: ITC Department, National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, 409 Atomistilor Street, MG5, 077125 Magurele, Romania
Dan Savastru: ITC Department, National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, 409 Atomistilor Street, MG5, 077125 Magurele, Romania
Marina Tautan: ITC Department, National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, 409 Atomistilor Street, MG5, 077125 Magurele, Romania

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-19

Abstract: Based on outdoor air pollution and meteorological daily time series observational and in-situ monitoring data, this study investigated the impacts of environmental factors under different urban climates on COVID-19 transmission in four hotspot European metropolises (Berlin, London, Madrid, and Paris) from March 2020 to March 2022. Through applied statistical methods and cross-correlation tests involving multiple datasets pertaining to the main air pollutants (inhalable particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and ozone (O 3 )) and climate parameters (air temperature at 2 m height, relative humidity, wind speed intensity and direction, planetary boundary layer height, and surface solar irradiance), a direct positive impact of aerosol loading (PM2.5, PM10, and aerosol optical depth (AOD)) on COVID-19 spreading and severity was revealed. Despite some urban differences existing between the selected cities, particularly for the spring–summer periods, we have observed negative correlations between daily new COVID-19 cases and deaths and daily average ground-level ozone concentration, air temperature at 2 m height, planetary boundary layer height, and surface solar irradiance. Air relative humidity and urban population density have a direct impact on COVID-19 diffusion in large metropolitan areas, and the findings of this study highlight the crucial role of air pollution, in synergy with climate variability, in viral pathogens dispersion in COVID-19 transmission in large urban areas. This information can be used by decision-makers to develop targeted interventions during epidemic periods to reduce the potential risks associated with air pollution exposure and to promote the sustainable development of urban economies.

Keywords: air pollution; urban climate; AOD (aerosol optical depth); population density; European metropolises (Berlin, London, Madrid, and Paris); COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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