Monitoring of atmospheric pollutions: does it still make sense after the COVID-19 lockdowns?

Since early this year, the world has been confronted with a significant reduction of air pollution due to the unexpected COVID-19 lockdowns. Some cities in China have reported unusually clear skies, while regions in India described rarely clear views on the summits of the Himalaya. It has been monitored that in some districts, air pollution concentrations have decreased to 20% of the pre-COVID-19 levels .

These observations show that the sudden reduction of road traffic, aviation and industrial activities have yielded an instant and unprecedented reduction of VOC concentrations in the ambient air.

Recent publications in the New York Times and in Forbes, have stated a relationship between regular air pollution levels and the death rate of the COVID-19 virus. It was explained that the long term exposure to air pollutions has made citizens in polluted areas more vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus. The condition of the lungs and the heart has been significantly reduced by the long-term contact with air pollution, thus yielding higher COVID-19 death rates in polluted cities and districts.

This conclusion demonstrates the importance of continuation and expansion of the air quality monitoring in our local environments, as clean air is a vital ingredient for life.

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