According to researchers from Hasselt University in Belgium, the effect of pollution on patients’ time in hospital was equivalent to being a decade older. Conversely, the effect of reducing exposure to pollution was 40 to 80 per cent as effective in reducing patients’ time in hospital as some of the best available treatments.
In a second study, the researchers used data on all 3.7 million Danish people aged 30 or older to establish the impact of air pollution on Covid-19. They found that long-term exposure to pollution at levels well below current EU limits increased the risk of contracting Covid-19, being hospitalised and dying of the disease.
The research team used data on levels of three pollutants – nitrogen dioxide, soot and fine particles (PM2.5) – at the patients’ home addresses before they were hospitalised with Covid-19. They also measured the amount of soot in the patients’ blood.
The researchers compared this data with clinical outcomes, such...