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Squillacioti G, Scaioli G, Cassardo C, Arduino G, Siniscalco C, Siliquini R, Bono R. Covid-19 pandemic in north-west Italy: the potential role of meteorology, air pollution and pollens. Eur J Public Health 2022. [PMCID: PMC9620038 DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac129.562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Italy was the first western country severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic attesting more than 16 million cases since the outbreak began. Po Valley regions have been most afflicted, with Piedmont ranking sixth at 25,899 cases/100,000 inhabitants. Within this area, air dispersion is hampered making Po Valley a recognised air pollution hotspot. We aimed to explore the potential association between the environment and Covid-19 incidence. Methods Daily key air pollutants (NO2, NO, CO, O3, PM10, and PM2.5), meteorological parameters (temperature, %humidity, wind speed and solar radiation), pollens and Covid-19 cases were collected from 01/01 to 31/12/2021 in Turin, Italy. This ecological study preliminarily tested correlations (Spearman) between air pollutants and Covid-19 cases. Results The Covid-19 pandemic followed a seasonal trend with the highest number of cases (/100,000 inhabitants) in winter and spring (3.1) followed by autumn (1.3) and summer (0.5) (KW test p < 0.0001). Likewise, all air pollutants showed peaks in winter and autumn and sensibly decreased during spring and summer apart from pollens and O3. O3 follows the photochemical processes reaching its peak in the sunniest periods, while pollens undergo their natural vegetative process. Daily Covid-19 cases were positively correlated with daily-averaged NO2 (0.50, p < 0.0001), NO (0.48, p < 0.0001), CO (0.81, p < 0.0001), PM10 (0.36, p < 0.0001), PM2.5 (0.39, p < 0.0001), pollens (0.15, p = 0.073) and inversely with O3 (-0.44, p < 0.0001). We plan future analyses to test the hypothesized association by enhanced models with lagged air pollution variables, with demographic characteristics and meteorological data as potential confounders. Conclusions Results from ecological studies may support researchers’ preliminary understanding of the interplay between environment and Public Health issues, including pandemics. A multidisciplinary approach is mandatory to deepen the complexity of this topic across European regions Key messages • The Covid-19 pandemic may be associated with environmental conditions and air pollution but further research is needed. • Atmospheric particulate matter, including aeroallergens, can favour many airborne-related diseases by acting as immune suppressor and/or carrier, but these hypotheses deserve future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Squillacioti
- Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin , Turin, Italy
| | - G Scaioli
- Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin , Turin, Italy
| | - C Cassardo
- Physics, University of Turin , Turin, Italy
| | - G Arduino
- DIR Environment, Energy & Territory, Piedmont Region , Turin, Italy
| | - C Siniscalco
- Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin , Turin, Italy
| | - R Siliquini
- Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin , Turin, Italy
- A.O.U., City of Health and Science of Turin , Turin, Italy
| | - R Bono
- Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin , Turin, Italy
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Adams JH, Ahmad S, Allard D, Anzalone A, Bacholle S, Barrillon P, Bayer J, Bertaina M, Bisconti F, Blaksley C, Blin-Bondil S, Bobík P, Cafagna F, Campana D, Capel F, Casolino M, Cassardo C, Catalano C, Cremonini R, Dagoret-Campagne S, Danto P, del Peral L, de la Taille C, Díaz Damian A, Dupieux M, Ebersoldt A, Ebisuzaki T, Eser J, Evrard J, Fenu F, Ferrarese S, Fornaro C, Fouka M, Gorodetzky P, Guarino F, Guzman A, Hachisu Y, Haungs A, Judd E, Jung A, Karczmarczyk J, Kawasaki Y, Klimov PA, Kuznetsov E, Mackovjak S, Manfrin M, Marcelli L, Medina-Tanco G, Mercier K, Merino A, Mernik T, Miyamoto H, Morales de los Ríos JA, Moretto C, Mot B, Neronov A, Ohmori H, Olinto AV, Osteria G, Panico B, Parizot E, Paul T, Picozza P, Piotrowski LW, Plebaniak Z, Pliego S, Prat P, Prévôt G, Prieto H, Putis M, Rabanal J, Ricci M, Rojas J, Rodríguez Frías MD, Roudil G, Sáez Cano G, Sahnoun Z, Sakaki N, Sanchez JC, Santangelo A, Sarazin F, Scotti V, Shinozaki K, Silva H, Soriano JF, Suino G, Szabelski J, Toscano S, Tabone I, Takizawa Y, von Ballmoos P, Wiencke L, Wille M, Zotov M. A Review of the EUSO-Balloon Pathfinder for the JEM-EUSO Program. Space Sci Rev 2022; 218:3. [PMID: 35153338 PMCID: PMC8807436 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-022-00870-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
EUSO-Balloon is a pathfinder for JEM-EUSO, the mission concept of a spaceborne observatory which is designed to observe Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray (UHECR)-induced Extensive Air Showers (EAS) by detecting their UltraViolet (UV) light tracks "from above." On August 25, 2014, EUSO-Balloon was launched from Timmins Stratospheric Balloon Base (Ontario, Canada) by the balloon division of the French Space Agency CNES. After reaching a floating altitude of 38 km, EUSO-Balloon imaged the UV light in the wavelength range ∼290-500 nm for more than 5 hours using the key technologies of JEM-EUSO. The flight allowed a good understanding of the performance of the detector to be developed, giving insights into possible improvements to be applied to future missions. A detailed measurement of the photoelectron counts in different atmospheric and ground conditions was achieved. By means of the simulation of the instrument response and by assuming atmospheric models, the absolute intensity of diffuse light was estimated. The instrument detected hundreds of laser tracks with similar characteristics to EASs shot by a helicopter flying underneath. These are the first recorded laser tracks measured from a fluorescence detector looking down on the atmosphere. The reconstruction of the direction of the laser tracks was performed. In this work, a review of the main results obtained by EUSO-Balloon is presented as well as implications for future space-based observations of UHECRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. H. Adams
- University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, USA
| | - S. Ahmad
- Omega, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS/IN2P3, Palaiseau, France
| | - D. Allard
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - A. Anzalone
- INAF - Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - S. Bacholle
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - P. Barrillon
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, Orsay, France
| | - J. Bayer
- Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - M. Bertaina
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Torino, Torino, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - F. Bisconti
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - C. Blaksley
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - S. Blin-Bondil
- Omega, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS/IN2P3, Palaiseau, France
| | - P. Bobík
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovakia
| | - F. Cafagna
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - D. Campana
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
| | - F. Capel
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M. Casolino
- RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama Japan
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
| | - C. Cassardo
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - C. Catalano
- IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - R. Cremonini
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | - P. Danto
- CNES, 18 avenue Edouard Belin, Toulouse, France
| | | | | | | | - M. Dupieux
- IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - A. Ebersoldt
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | | | - J. Eser
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, USA
| | - J. Evrard
- CNES, 18 avenue Edouard Belin, Toulouse, France
| | - F. Fenu
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Torino, Torino, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - S. Ferrarese
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | - M. Fouka
- Center of Research in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Geophysics, Algiers, Algeria
| | - P. Gorodetzky
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - F. Guarino
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Universitá di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - A. Guzman
- Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Y. Hachisu
- RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama Japan
| | - A. Haungs
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - E. Judd
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - A. Jung
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | | | | | - P. A. Klimov
- Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - E. Kuznetsov
- University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, USA
| | - S. Mackovjak
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovakia
| | - M. Manfrin
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - L. Marcelli
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
| | - G. Medina-Tanco
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - K. Mercier
- CNES, 18 avenue Edouard Belin, Toulouse, France
| | | | - T. Mernik
- Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - H. Miyamoto
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, Orsay, France
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | - C. Moretto
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, Orsay, France
| | - B. Mot
- IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - A. Neronov
- ISDC Data Centre for Astrophysics, Versoix, Switzerland
| | - H. Ohmori
- RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama Japan
| | | | - G. Osteria
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
| | - B. Panico
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Universitá di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - E. Parizot
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - T. Paul
- Lehman College, City University of New York, New York, USA
| | - P. Picozza
- RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama Japan
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Z. Plebaniak
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
- National Centre for Nuclear Research, Lodz, Poland
| | - S. Pliego
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - P. Prat
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - G. Prévôt
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - H. Prieto
- Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain
| | - M. Putis
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovakia
| | - J. Rabanal
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, Orsay, France
| | - M. Ricci
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Frascati, Italy
| | - J. Rojas
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - G. Roudil
- IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Z. Sahnoun
- Center of Research in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Geophysics, Algiers, Algeria
| | - N. Sakaki
- RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama Japan
| | - J. C. Sanchez
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - A. Santangelo
- Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - V. Scotti
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Universitá di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - K. Shinozaki
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
- National Centre for Nuclear Research, Lodz, Poland
| | - H. Silva
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - G. Suino
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - J. Szabelski
- National Centre for Nuclear Research, Lodz, Poland
| | - S. Toscano
- ISDC Data Centre for Astrophysics, Versoix, Switzerland
| | - I. Tabone
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | | | | | - M. Wille
- ECAP, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - M. Zotov
- Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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