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Gea M, Macrì M, Marangon D, Pitasi FA, Fontana M, Schilirò T, Bonetta S. Biological effects of particulate matter samples during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparison with the pre-lockdown period in Northwest Italy. AIR QUALITY, ATMOSPHERE, & HEALTH 2023; 16:1-16. [PMID: 37359393 PMCID: PMC10243887 DOI: 10.1007/s11869-023-01381-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, containment measures were applied inducing potential changes in air pollutant concentrations and thus in air toxicity. This study evaluates the role of restrictions on biological effects of particulate matter (PM) in different Northwest Italy sites: urban background, urban traffic, rural, and incinerator. Daily PM samples collected in 2020 were pooled according to restrictions: January/February (no restrictions), March and April (first lockdown), May/June and July/August/September (low restrictions), October/November/December (second lockdown). The 2019 samples (pre-pandemic period) were pooled as 2020 for comparison. Pools were extracted with organic solvents and extracts were tested to assess cytotoxicity (WST-1 assay) and genotoxicity (comet assay) on BEAS-2B cells, mutagenicity (Ames test) on TA98 and TA100 Salmonella typhimurium strains, and estrogenic activity (gene reporter assay) on MELN cells. Pollutant concentrations were also analyzed (PM10, PM2.5, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). No difference was observed for PM and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations between 2020 and 2019. During lockdown months (2020), PM cytotoxicity/genotoxicity was significantly lower in some sites than during 2019, while considering PM mutagenicity/estrogenic activity some differences were detected but without statistical significance. PM extract effects decreased in some sites during 2020; this may be due to lockdowns that reduced/modified pollutant emissions and may be related also to complex PM origin/formation and to meteorological conditions. In conclusion, the study confirms that PM biological effects cannot be assessed considering only the PM concentration and suggests to include a battery of bioassay for air quality monitoring in order to protect human health from air pollution effects. Graphical Abstract Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11869-023-01381-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Gea
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 Bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Manuela Macrì
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Turin, Italy
| | - Daniele Marangon
- Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Piedmont (ARPA Piemonte), Via Sabaudia 164, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Francesco Antonio Pitasi
- Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Piedmont (ARPA Piemonte), Via Sabaudia 164, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Marco Fontana
- Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Piedmont (ARPA Piemonte), Via Sabaudia 164, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Tiziana Schilirò
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 Bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Sara Bonetta
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 Bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
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Navasakthi S, Pandey A, Bhari JS, Sharma A. Significant variation in air quality in South Indian cities during COVID-19 lockdown and unlock phases. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:772. [PMID: 37253943 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11375-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
With the spread of COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, the Government of India had imposed lockdown in the month of March 2020 to curb the spread of the virus furthermore. This shutdown led to closure of various institutions, organizations, and industries, and restriction on public movement was also inflicted which paved way to better air quality due to reduction in various industrial and vehicular emissions. To brace this, the present study was carried out to statistically analyze the changes in air quality from pre-lockdown period to unlock 6.0 in South Indian cities, namely, Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, and Hyderabad, by assessing the variation in concentration of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 during pre-lockdown, lockdown, and unlock phases. Pollutant concentration data was obtained for the selected timeframe (01 March 2020-30 November 2020) from CPCB, and line graph was plotted which had shown visible variation in the concentration of pollutants in cities taken into consideration. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to determine the mean differences in the concentration of pollutants during eleven timeframes, and the results indicated a significant difference (F (10,264) = 3.389, p < 0.001). A significant decrease in the levels of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 during the lockdown phases was asserted by Tukey HSD results in Bangalore, Coimbatore, and Hyderabad stations, whereas PM10 and NO2 significantly increased during lockdown period in Chennai station. In order to understand the cause of variation in the concentration of pollutants and to find the association of pollutants with meteorological parameters, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to study the relationship between PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 concentrations, temperature, rainfall, and wind speed for a span of 15 months, i.e., from January 2020 to March 2021. At a significant level of 99.9%, 99%, and 95%, a significant correlation among the pollutants, rainfall had a major impact on the pollutant concentration in Bangalore, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, and Chennai followed by wind speed and temperature. No significant influence of temperature on the concentration of pollutants was observed in Bangalore station.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shibani Navasakthi
- Department of Civil Engineering, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Anuvesh Pandey
- Department of Civil Engineering, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
| | | | - Ashita Sharma
- Department of Civil Engineering, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India.
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The Impact of Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) Lockdown Restrictions on the Criteria Pollutants. Processes (Basel) 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/pr11010296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Air pollution is accountable for various long-term and short-term respiratory diseases and even deaths. Air pollution is normally associated with a decreasing life expectancy. Governments have been implementing strategies to improve air quality. However, natural events have always played an important role in the concentration of air pollutants. In Australia, the lockdown period followed the Black Summer of 2019–2020 and coincided with the season of prescribed burns. This paper investigates the changes in the concentration of criteria pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and sulphur dioxide. The air quality data for the lockdown period in 2020 was compared with the pre-lockdown period in 2020 and with corresponding periods of previous years from 2016 to 2019. The results were also compared with the post-lockdown scenario of 2020 and 2021 to understand how the concentration levels changed due to behavioural changes and a lack of background events. The results revealed that the COVID-19 restrictions had some impact on the concentration of pollutants; however, the location of monitoring stations played an important role.
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Bansod V, Kulkarni S, Nannaware M, Singru S, Chawla CS, Kalra K. Perception of Indian citizens regarding lockdown during COVID-19 pandemic in the Indian context. MGM JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES 2023. [DOI: 10.4103/mgmj.mgmj_27_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
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Vasudevan M, Natarajan N, Selvi SM, Ravikumar K, Rajendran AD, Bagavathi AB. Correlating the trends of COVID-19 spread and air quality during lockdowns in Tier-I and Tier-II cities of India-lessons learnt and futuristic strategies. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:86126-86155. [PMID: 34545523 PMCID: PMC8452450 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16028-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The present study focuses on the impact of early imposed lockdowns and following unlocking phases on the status of air quality in six Tier-I and nine Tier-II cities of India as compared to the pre-lockdown measures. Furthermore, the study highlights the possible correlation of air quality index (AQI) with the initial trend of COVID-19 issues including the vaccination cases. Based on the statistical data analysis, we observed that the long-term averages for representing the short-term pre-lockdown conditions can impose a healing effect to the observed anomalies in air pollution data. However, the reduction in air pollution during the imposed lockdown series was only a phenomenal consequence, and the trends started reversing during the later phases of partial unlocking, where the correlation showed reversing trends. Being a yearly averaged parameter, the marginal reductions in the exceedance factor (EF) alone could not dictate air quality compared to the AQI. As there is incoherent variability in the pollutant distributions among the cities during various phases of the study, the trend analysis served as a preferable criterion to choose the preferred sources of variations. Based on the results, the correlation analysis revealed that air quality expressed in terms of AQI can act as an important precursor to estimate the critical phase of COVID-19 spread and the effectiveness of various control measures taken during each phase. Based on our proposed ranking, Kolkata and Patna are ranked first in the Tier-I and Tier-II cities respectively according to their responsiveness to the various institutionalized restrictions in terms of air quality parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mangottiri Vasudevan
- Department of Civil Engineering, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, Erode, Tamil Nadu, 638401, India
| | - Narayanan Natarajan
- Department of Civil Engineering, Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, 642003, India.
| | - Sugashini Masillamani Selvi
- Department of Civil Engineering, Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, 642003, India
| | - Kesavan Ravikumar
- Department of Civil Engineering, Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, 642003, India
| | - Arun Dharshini Rajendran
- Department of Civil Engineering, Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, 642003, India
| | - Anushya Banu Bagavathi
- Department of Civil Engineering, Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, 642003, India
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Asif M, Mahajan P. Impact of COVID-19 lockdown and meteorology on the air quality of Srinagar city: A temperate climatic region in Kashmir Himalayas. HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ADVANCES 2022; 4:100025. [PMID: 37520075 PMCID: PMC9474402 DOI: 10.1016/j.heha.2022.100025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The deadly transmission of the coronavirus forced all countries to implement lockdowns to restrict the transmission of this highly infectious disease. As a result of these lockdowns and restrictions, many urban centers have seen a positive impact on air quality with a significant reduction in air pollution. Therefore, in this study, the impact of COVID-19 lockdown vis-a-vis meteorological parameters on the ambient air quality of Srinagar city was examined. In this regard, we have evaluated the temporal variation of six different key air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, O3, and NH3) along with meteorological parameters (relative humidity, rainfall, temperature, wind speed, and wind direction). The duration of the study was divided into three periods: Before Lockdown(BLD), Lockdown (LD), and Partial Lockdown(PLD). Daily average data for all the parameters was accessed from one of the real-time continuous monitoring stations of the central pollution control board (CPCB) at Rajbagh Srinagar. Some air pollutants have decreased, according to the results, while others have increased. The air quality index (AQI) decreases overall by 6.15 percent compared to before lockdown, and it never exceeds the "moderate" category. The AQI was in the following order for both lockdown and pre-lockdown periods: satisfactory > moderate > good. However, for partial lockdown, it was moderate > satisfactory > good. It was observed that the maximum decrease was seen in the concentration of NO2, NH3 with 75.11% and 69.18%. A modest decrease was observed in PM10 at 3.8%. While SO2 and O3 had an upward trend of 85.82% and 48.74%, The NO2 to SO2 ratio reveals that the emissions of NO2 have substantially decreased due to the complete restriction of transport systems. From principal component analysis for all three study periods, PM10 and PM2.5 were combined into a single component, inferring their shared behavior and source of origin. SO2 and O3 demonstrated identical behavior during the lockdown and partial lockdown periods of study. According to the findings of the study, it is beneficial for the government, environmentalists, and policymakers to impose rigorous lockdown measures, particularly during extreme air pollution events, in order to reduce the damage caused by automotive and industrial emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Asif
- Department of Botanical & Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab 143005, India
| | - Pranav Mahajan
- Punjab School of Economics Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab 143005, India
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Ye F, Rupakheti D, Huang L, T N, Kumar Mk S, Li L, Kt V, Hu J. Integrated process analysis retrieval of changes in ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter during the COVID-19 outbreak in the coastal city of Kannur, India. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 307:119468. [PMID: 35588959 PMCID: PMC9109815 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The Community Multi-Scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model was applied to evaluate the air quality in the coastal city of Kannur, India, during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. From the Pre1 (March 1-24, 2020) period to the Lock (March 25-April 19, 2020) and Tri (April 20-May 9, 2020) periods, the Kerala state government gradually imposed a strict lockdown policy. Both the simulations and observations showed a decline in the PM2.5 concentrations and an enhancement in the O3 concentrations during the Lock and Tri periods compared with that in the Pre1 period. Integrated process rate (IPR) analysis was employed to isolate the contributions of the individual atmospheric processes. The results revealed that the vertical transport from the upper layers dominated the surface O3 formation, comprising 89.4%, 83.1%, and 88.9% of the O3 sources during the Pre1, Lock, and Tri periods, respectively. Photochemistry contributed negatively to the O3 concentrations at the surface layer. Compared with the Pre1 period, the O3 enhancement during the Lock period was primarily attributable to the lower negative contribution of photochemistry and the lower O3 removal rate by horizontal transport. During the Tri period, a slower consumption of O3 by gas-phase chemistry and a stronger vertical import from the upper layers to the surface accounted for the increase in O3. Emission and aerosol processes constituted the major positive contributions to the net surface PM2.5, accounting for a total of 48.7%, 38.4%, and 42.5% of PM2.5 sources during the Pre1, Lock, and Tri periods, respectively. The decreases in the PM2.5 concentrations during the Lock and Tri periods were primarily explained by the weaker PM2.5 production from emission and aerosol processes. The increased vertical transport rate of PM2.5 from the surface layer to the upper layers was also a reason for the decrease in the PM2.5 during the Lock periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Ye
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Dipesh Rupakheti
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Lin Huang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Nishanth T
- Department of Physics, Sree Krishna College Guruvayur, Kerala, 680102, India
| | - Satheesh Kumar Mk
- Department of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Karnataka, 576104, India
| | - Lin Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Valsaraj Kt
- Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Jianlin Hu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China.
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Prabhu V, Singh P, Kulkarni P, Sreekanth V. Characteristics and health risk assessment of fine particulate matter and surface ozone: results from Bengaluru, India. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:211. [PMID: 35195799 PMCID: PMC8863905 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-09852-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Urban air pollution is a complex problem, which requires a multi-pronged approach to understand its dynamics. In the current study, various aspects of air pollution over Bengaluru city were studied utilizing simultaneous reference-grade measurements (during the period July 2019 to June 2020) of fine particulate matter mass concentration (PM2.5), aerosol black carbon mass concentrations (BC), and surface ozone (O3) concentrations. The study period mean PM2.5, BC, and O3 were observed to be 26.8 ± 11.5 µg m-3, 5.6 ± 2.8 µg m-3, and 25.5 ± 12.4 ppb, respectively. Statistical methods such as principal component analysis, moving average subtraction method, conditional bivariate probability function, and concentration weighted trajectory analysis were performed to understand the dynamics of air pollution over Bengaluru and its long-range transportation pathways. Some of the major findings from the statistical analyses include (i) contrasting association in BC versus O3 and PM2.5 versus O3; (ii) around one-fourth of the observed receptor site BC was contributed by local sources/emissions; and (iii) the source locations potentially contributing to BC and PM2.5 were spatially different. In Bengaluru, long-term exposure to PM2.5 resulted in around 3413, 3393, 1016, and 147 attributable deaths for the health endpoints chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer, respectively. Long-term exposure to O3 resulted in around 155 attributable deaths for respiratory diseases, as estimated by the AirQ + model. Finally, the limitations of the study in terms of data availability and analysis have been detailed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vignesh Prabhu
- Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, Bengaluru, 560094 India
| | - Pratima Singh
- Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, Bengaluru, 560094 India
| | - Padmavati Kulkarni
- Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, Bengaluru, 560094 India
| | - V. Sreekanth
- Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, Bengaluru, 560094 India
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Gouda KC, Gogeri I, ThippaReddy AS. Assessment of Aerosol Optical Depth over Indian Subcontinent during COVID-19 lockdown (March-May 2020). ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:195. [PMID: 35175426 PMCID: PMC8853339 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-09855-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a major threat to human beings and huge losses over the globe. In order to control the pandemic spread, almost all parts of the world imposed lockdown. The imposed lockdown drastically impacted on reduction in the atmospheric pollutions and also resulted in net decrease in aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the atmosphere. In this study, the reduction in the AOD during the COVID-19 lockdown over the Indian subcontinent is being assessed using the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data available in Giovanni version 4.34 developed by NASA. The long-term mean analysis is computed considering 20 years (i.e., 2000-2019) data on Terra platform with a temporal resolution of daily and monthly and spatial resolution of 1 degree. The dataset of AOD with a temporal resolution of monthly was used for investigation of AOD anomaly for March, April and May 2020, and the seasonal variation (March to May 2020) is also assessed. Similarly, the daily scale dataset was used to investigate the percentage change in AOD during pre-lockdown and lockdown period with respect to long-term mean. The key findings in the present study show that reduction in AOD level over Indian subcontinent is approximately 14.75% during the lockdown period with spatial variation in the magnitude from region to region. The level of AOD is greatly reduced in the northern part of India (~ 22.53%), whereas changes in the southern part of India are much less (~ -0.31%); this may be due to ongoing anthropogenic activities during the lockdown period in this region. Furthermore, a positive AOD anomaly was observed in the eastern and central regions of India (i.e., over the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Part of Maharashtra and Karnataka). However, negative AOD anomaly was observed in the north and northwest regions of India, whereas not much change in the AOD anomaly in other parts of the country. The overall assessment of the AOD level shows a net decrease over the Indian subcontinent during the lockdown period, i.e., March to May 2020. This kind of assessment study will surely help the government for the sustainable policy decisions for atmospheric pollution control by implementing proper lockdown procedures over various parts of the country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krushna Chandra Gouda
- CSIR - Fourth Paradigm Institute, Wind Tunnel Road, Bangalore-560037, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Uttar Pradesh, Ghaziabad, 201002, India.
| | - Iranna Gogeri
- CSIR - Fourth Paradigm Institute, Wind Tunnel Road, Bangalore-560037, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Uttar Pradesh, Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Aruna Singanahalli ThippaReddy
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Uttar Pradesh, Ghaziabad, 201002, India
- Surface Engineering Division, CSIR - National Aerospace Laboratories, HAL Airport Road, Bangalore-560017, India
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Yamaguchi H, Nozu K, Ishiko S, Kondo A, Ninchoji T, Nagano C, Takeda H, Unzaki A, Ishibashi K, Morioka I, Nagase H, Iijima K, Ishida A. Impact of the State of Emergency during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 on Asthma Exacerbations among Children in Kobe City, Japan. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182111407. [PMID: 34769923 PMCID: PMC8583023 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic altered environmental factors. We studied the impact of these changes on asthma exacerbation (AE) by comparing the AE-related environmental factors between COVID-19 (2020) and pre-COVID-19 (2011–2019) eras. Between 2011 and 2020, 278,465 children (<16 years old) visited our emergency department, and 7476 were diagnosed with AE. The number of patients showed spring and fall peaks in 2011–2019. Multivariate analyses showed significant positive relationships of the number of AE patients with the average temperature among all patients and 0–5-year-olds and with sulfur dioxide (SO2) levels in 2011–2019 among 0–5-year-olds. Although the spring peak in the number of patients was not observed in 2020 after declaration of a state of emergency, the fall peak was again observed after the state of emergency was lifted. No changes in average temperature were detected, but SO2 was significantly reduced following declaration of the state of emergency in 2020. Therefore, SO2 reduction might have contributed to the disappearance of the peak of AE. However, a fall peak was observed again in 2020, although SO2 levels continued to be low. These data suggest that person to person interaction seems to be associated with AE, presumably due to unknown viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Yamaguchi
- Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (K.N.); (S.I.); (A.K.); (T.N.); (C.N.); (H.T.); (H.N.); (K.I.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-78-382-5111; Fax: +81-78-382-5050
| | - Kandai Nozu
- Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (K.N.); (S.I.); (A.K.); (T.N.); (C.N.); (H.T.); (H.N.); (K.I.)
| | - Shinya Ishiko
- Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (K.N.); (S.I.); (A.K.); (T.N.); (C.N.); (H.T.); (H.N.); (K.I.)
| | - Atsushi Kondo
- Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (K.N.); (S.I.); (A.K.); (T.N.); (C.N.); (H.T.); (H.N.); (K.I.)
| | - Takeshi Ninchoji
- Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (K.N.); (S.I.); (A.K.); (T.N.); (C.N.); (H.T.); (H.N.); (K.I.)
| | - China Nagano
- Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (K.N.); (S.I.); (A.K.); (T.N.); (C.N.); (H.T.); (H.N.); (K.I.)
| | - Hiroki Takeda
- Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (K.N.); (S.I.); (A.K.); (T.N.); (C.N.); (H.T.); (H.N.); (K.I.)
| | - Ai Unzaki
- Kobe Children’s Primary Emergency Medical Center, 1-4-1 Wakihamakaigandori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073, Japan; (A.U.); (K.I.); (A.I.)
| | - Kazuto Ishibashi
- Kobe Children’s Primary Emergency Medical Center, 1-4-1 Wakihamakaigandori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073, Japan; (A.U.); (K.I.); (A.I.)
| | - Ichiro Morioka
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1, Oyaguchi, Kami-cho, Itabashi-ku 173-8610, Japan;
| | - Hiroaki Nagase
- Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (K.N.); (S.I.); (A.K.); (T.N.); (C.N.); (H.T.); (H.N.); (K.I.)
| | - Kazumoto Iijima
- Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (K.N.); (S.I.); (A.K.); (T.N.); (C.N.); (H.T.); (H.N.); (K.I.)
| | - Akihito Ishida
- Kobe Children’s Primary Emergency Medical Center, 1-4-1 Wakihamakaigandori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073, Japan; (A.U.); (K.I.); (A.I.)
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Arunkumar M, Dhanakumar S. Influence of meteorology, mobility, air mass transport and biomass burning on PM 2.5 of three north Indian cities: phase-wise analysis of the COVID-19 lockdown. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:618. [PMID: 34476627 PMCID: PMC8412385 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09400-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies concluded that air quality has improved due to the enforcement of lockdown in the wake of COVID-19. However, they mostly concentrated on the changes during the lockdown period, and the studies considering the consequences of de-escalation of lockdown are inadequate. Therefore, we investigated the changes in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during the pre-lockdown, strict lockdown, unlocking, and post-lockdown scenarios. In addition, we assessed the influence of meteorology, mobility, air mass transport, and biomass burning on PM2.5 using Google's mobility data, back trajectory model, and satellite-based fire incident data. Average PM2.5 concentrations in Ghaziabad, Noida, and Faridabad decreased by 60.70%, 63.27%, and 60.40%, respectively, during the lockdown. When compared with the preceding year (2019), the reductions during the shutdown period (25 March-31 May) were within the range of 36.34-44.55%. However, considering the entire year, this reduction in PM2.5 is momentary, and a steady increase in traffic density and industrial operations within cities during post-lockdown reflects a potent recovery of aerosol level, during which the average mass of PM2.5 three- to four-folds higher than the lockdown period. Back trajectories and fire activity results showed that biomass burning in the nearby states (Haryana and Punjab) influence aerosol load. We conclude that a partial lockdown in the event of a sudden surge in pollution would be a beneficial approach. However, reducing fossil fuel consumption and switching to more environmentally friendly energy sources, developing green transport networks, and circumventing biomass burning are efficient ways to improve air quality in the long term.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Arunkumar
- Department of Environmental Science, PSG College of Arts and Science, Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore, India 641014
| | - S. Dhanakumar
- Department of Environmental Science, PSG College of Arts and Science, Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore, India 641014
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