Better air in lockdown may have saved hundreds of lives in Europe
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment
More than 800 lives may have been saved across Europe thanks to better air quality in the first phase of Covid lockdowns, research suggests. Analysis of 47 European cities found Paris, London, Barcelona and Milan were among the top six with the highest number of avoided deaths. The study noted that closing workplaces and schools in European cities reduced levels of air pollution through less traffic and movement, while public events were cancelled and people stayed at home.Although strong decreases in NO2 were found, there was a smaller drop in levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), which are also produced by natural sources – such as wildfires and dust – and other emissions. Antonio Gasparrini, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at LSHTM and senior author of the study, said: “The lockdown during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic created immense health and social costs. However, it has offered unique conditions to investigate potential effects of strict policies to reduce pollution levels in urban areas.