Influence of the Covid-19 crisis on global PM2.5 concentration and related health impacts

Abstract

The decrease in human activities following the COVID-19 pandemic caused an important change in PM2.5 concentration, especially in the most polluted areas in the world: China (44.28 and 18.88 μg/m3 in the first quarters of 2019 and 2020, respectively), India (49.84 and 31.12, respectively), and Nigeria (75.30 and 34.31, respectively). In this study, satellite observations from all around the world of PM2.5 concentration were collected on the grid scale with a high resolution of 0.125° (about 15km). Population data for 2020 were also collected on the same scale. Statistical data from the World Health Organization (WHO) concerning the diseases caused by air pollution (e.g., stroke) were obtained for each country to determine the change in mortality between the first quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. Expressed in disability-adjusted life years (DALY), it was found that the largest reductions were observed for China (-13.9 million DALY), India (-6.3 million DALY), and Nigeria (-2.3 million DALY).