Wildfire ash and smoke could spike coronavirus cases, doctor warns, after study finds higher rate of Covid deaths in polluted areas

Several studies suggest Covid-19 cases may be more severe due to poor air quality

A California doctor has warned that poor air quality could lead to a spike in coronavirus cases.

Dozens of wildfires are raging in the American West. Blazes are getting larger in densely-populated northwest Oregon with hundreds of thousands of people told to evacuate. The death toll in a northern California wildfire rose to at least 10 people, making the blaze the deadliest of the year so far.

Along with the immediate threats from fires, Dr Brad Spellberg, chief medical officer at LA’s County-USC Medical Center, pointed to the complications that smoke and ash can pose, particularly during a pandemic.

Several studies have suggested that Covid-19 cases may be more severe due to poor air quality.

According to the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), people who live in polluted cities are more at risk from the virus. Poor air quality has been linked to hypertension, diabetes and respiratory diseases, conditions that place patients at greater risk.

“There is evidence that exposure of lungs to bad air quality can increase the protein in the virus that binds … to the infection in the lungs,” Dr Spellberg told KTLA.

On Friday, a paper published in Environmental Research Letters, linked hazardous air pollutants, known as HAPs, to higher death rates from Covid-19.

HAPs are known to cause cancer and other serious health impacts, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The research, conducted by  State University of New York and ProPublica, looked at data on air pollution and coronavirus fatalities in more than 3,000 counties in the US. A strong correlation was established between toxic pollutants and the per-capita death rate from Covid-19.

“There is evidence that exposure of lungs to bad air quality can increase the protein in the virus that binds…..to the infection in the lungs.”

Dr Brad Spellberg

Exclusive data, shared with The Independent earlier this month, found that emission levels had soared during California’s wildfires.

In the second half of August, carbon monoxide (CO) levels were, on average, almost double what they were before the blazes, which are being driven by the climate crisis, broke out. 

Nitrogen dioxide levels (NO2), from 18-30 August, were around a quarter higher than normal levels (CO is the primary air pollutant emitted from wildfires).

CO is a colourless, odourless gas that has the potential to kill. It can accumulate in indoor areas and poison those who breathe it in.

Along with other nitrogen oxides, NO2 contributes to particle pollution in the air and interacts with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form acid rain.

The air pollutant can cause a range of health issues, according to the American Lung Association, including increased inflammation of airways; cough and wheezing and reduced lung function. The group also points to new research which warns NO2 to be the likely cause of asthma in children.