People who contract COVID-19 are more likely to suffer severe symptoms if they have been exposed to air pollution for long periods, according to a new German study.
A study found that people who live in places where there are high levels of the atmospheric pollutant nitrogen dioxide had higher chances of ending up in intensive care units (ICUs) or of needing mechanical ventilation after they had caught COVID-19.
“Our results show a positive association between long-term nitrogen dioxide exposure and COVID-19 fatality and COVID-19 incidence rate,” said the team of German researchers, who were led by Susanne Koch, of Universitätsmedizin Berlin, a large teaching hospital.
The researchers say that while their results do not prove causation, there is a potential biological explanation for them.
Scientists had previously made links between COVID-19 and air pollution, but few studies have concentrated on cases that were particularly severe or on underlying health conditions in those affected by the disease.