Global Health Asia-Pacific July 2020 July 2020 | Page 68
Environment
Clear skies do not bring
boost in lockdown health
The environment may be coronavirus winner, but long-term impact on health is a concern
Shanghai sees clearer skies
As human populations reel over the health,
social, and economic impacts of the novel
coronavirus pandemic, the environment has
been breathing a sigh of relief.
Lockdowns across the world have led to fewer
vehicles on the roads, less industrial production,
and the virtual shutdown of the passenger aviation
industry.
Skies have been bluer from Beijing to Bogota,
according to satellite imagery that shows areas of
cleaner air extending across broad swathes of the
northern hemisphere.
Two new studies in the journal Geophysical
Research Letters in May found that nitrogen dioxide
pollution over northern China, Western Europe, and
the United States had decreased by as much as 60
percent in early 2020, compared to the same time last
year.
Nitrogen dioxide is produced during combustion
and has many harmful effects on the lungs. The gas
typically enters the atmosphere through emissions
from vehicles, power plants, and industrial activities.
While likely to be only short term, our planet’s
cleaner air has brought concrete and measurable
benefits to human health. In a comment piece in the
Lancet in May, public health researchers from several
American universities outlined their preliminary study
of the effect of air pollution on mortality in China and
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66 JULY 2020 GlobalHealthAndTravel.com