Breathe in that cleaner air

There has been one positive indirect effect of the quarantine. Even as early as the end of March, impressive satellite images from the European Space Agency showed that atmospheric pollution had plummeted.

Now with the aid of more imaging, these effects are confirmed. The concentrations of nitrogen oxide, in particular, around Europe’s capital cities have fallen to spectacular lows. Compared to 2019 levels, they have dropped by around 45% in Madrid, Milan and Rome, at by an amazing 54% in Paris.

This improvement in our air offers a special bonus right now because polluted air is believed to make people more vulnerable to respiratory conditions. In 2003, for example, a study published in Environmental Health1 demonstrated that patients infected with SARS living in moderately-polluted areas were at 84% higher risk of dying from the virus than those living in regions with cleaner air.

Moreover, according to the 2019 air quality report by the European Environmental Agency, nitrogen oxide causes 68,000 premature deaths every year in the European Union, yet another reason to celebrate its disappearance.

1) https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-069X-2-15