Scientists say the drop in some air pollutants in China during the past few months may have resulted in a significant decrease in hospitalizations from other ailments while the country worked to get a grip on the coronavirus outbreak.
The South China Morning Post reported that cleaner air in some of the country’s large cities resulted in a decrease of PM2.5, considered to be a dangerous particle that could lead to lung ailments such as asthma attacks and other respiratory diseases. These conditions could result in hospitalizations.
The report pointed out that China enforced strict lockdown orders during the early days of the outbreak, which resulted in a 36 percent reduction in nitrous oxide emissions at the time. The clean air in the country may be short-lived, however, as the report stated coal, oil, and gas consumption are back to pre-coronavirus levels.
But researchers from several countries, including the U.S. and China, believe hospitals in the country saw up to 60,000 fewer cases of other respiratory issues and 5,000 fewer admissions.
The paper reported that the peer-reviewed study was published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters and suggests cleaner air could play a significant role in mortality.
It is estimated that air pollution killed 1.24 million Chinese in 2017, according to an analysis for the University of Washington in Seattle’s “Global Burden of Disease” study published this year.
Globally, according to the WHO, air pollution kills an estimated seven million people annually, increasing mortality for heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, diabetes, and pneumonia.
TRENDPOST: To date, 4,634 people have died of the virus in China and one million have died from it globally. As we know, air pollution has been a mass murderer for centuries, yet there are no lockdowns or strict government orders imposed to curb this deadly enemy.
