Hakami Abdulrahim R, Dobie Gasim
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha.
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Jazan University, Jazan.
J Public Health Res. 2021 Oct 21;11(1):2521. doi: 10.4081/jphr.2021.2521.
Studies of risk factors are especially valuable at this difficult time in the midst of a pandemic. High levels of particulate matter (PM) represent a serious risk factor on health. While this is a direct impact on health, indirect effects are worth considering, too.
The aim of this study was to investigate the role of PM in the transmission of viruses, especially SARS-CoV-2. Also, we sought to understand dynamics of PM in still air at high and low altitudes. Historic AQI and physical PM measurements were collected between August and September 2020 using air quality detector. Potential correlations between the number of total confirmed COVID-19 cases and average air quality index (AQI) from varied geographic locations were also assessed.
Airborne PM levels were weakly associated with COVID-19 cases after analysing 77 territories. PM remained longer in the air at high altitudes compared to measurements made at sea level. This suggests that the link between PM and COVID-19 transmission could be aggravated in areas of high altitude.
This article highlights that particulate matter can be involved in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. However, confounding factors may have impacted the association between the two variables. These findings can serve as a foundation for future studies on the effect of air pollutants and fine particulate matter on viral transmission.
在疫情肆虐的艰难时期，对风险因素的研究格外有价值。高浓度的颗粒物（PM）是危害健康的一个严重风险因素。这不仅会对健康产生直接影响，其间接影响也值得关注。
本研究旨在探究颗粒物在病毒传播，尤其是严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）传播中的作用。此外，我们试图了解高低海拔静止空气中颗粒物的动态变化。2020年8月至9月期间，使用空气质量检测仪收集了历史空气质量指数（AQI）和颗粒物实际测量数据。还评估了不同地理位置的新冠确诊病例总数与平均空气质量指数之间的潜在相关性。
在分析了77个地区后发现，空气中的颗粒物水平与新冠病例之间存在微弱关联。与海平面的测量结果相比，高海拔地区空气中的颗粒物停留时间更长。这表明在高海拔地区，颗粒物与新冠病毒传播之间的联系可能会加剧。
本文强调颗粒物可能参与了SARS-CoV-2的传播。然而，混杂因素可能影响了这两个变量之间的关联。这些发现可为未来关于空气污染物和细颗粒物对病毒传播影响的研究奠定基础。
