Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, 160012, India.
Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
J Infect Public Health. 2022 Feb;15(2):187-198. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.12.001. Epub 2021 Dec 4.
The COVID-19 lockdown resulted in improved air quality in many cities across the world. With the objective of what could be the new learning from the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns for better air quality and human health, a critical synthesis of the available evidence concerning air pollution reduction, the population at risk and natural versus anthropogenic emissions was conducted. Can the new societal norms adopted during pandemics, such as the use of face cover, awareness regarding respiratory hand hygiene, and physical distancing, help in reducing disease burden in the future? The use of masks will be more socially acceptable during the high air pollution episodes in lower and middle-income countries, which could help to reduce air pollution exposure. Although post-pandemic, some air pollution reduction strategies may be affected, such as car-pooling and the use of mass transit systems for commuting to avoid exposure to airborne infections like coronavirus. However, promoting non-motorized modes of transportation such as cycling and walking within cities as currently being enabled in Europe and other countries could overshadow such losses. This demand focus on increasing walkability in a town for all ages and populations, including for a differently-abled community. The study highlighted that for better health and sustainability there. is also a need to promote other measures such as work-from-home, technological infrastructure, the extension of smart cities, and the use of information technology.
COVID-19 封锁导致世界许多城市的空气质量得到改善。为了从 COVID-19 大流行及其随后的封锁中吸取改善空气质量和人类健康的新经验，对有关减少空气污染、处于危险中的人群以及自然与人为排放的现有证据进行了批判性综合分析。大流行期间采用的新社会规范，例如使用口罩、注意呼吸道手部卫生以及保持身体距离，是否有助于减轻未来的疾病负担？在中低收入国家空气污染高发期间，口罩的使用将更加被社会所接受，这有助于减少空气污染暴露。尽管大流行后，一些减少空气污染的策略可能会受到影响，例如拼车和使用大众交通系统通勤以避免接触冠状病毒等空气传播感染，但在欧洲和其他国家，促进城市内的非机动交通方式（如骑自行车和步行）可能会超过这种损失。这种需求注重提高城镇的步行友好性，适用于所有年龄段和人群，包括残疾人群体。该研究强调，为了实现更好的健康和可持续性，还需要推广其他措施，例如在家工作、技术基础设施、智慧城市的扩展以及信息技术的使用。
