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The Effects of Air Pollution on COVID-19 Related Mortality in Northern Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Eric S. Coker

    (University of Florida)

  • Laura Cavalli

    (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei)

  • Enrico Fabrizi

    (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore)

  • Gianni Guastella

    (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei
    Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore)

  • Enrico Lippo

    (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei)

  • Maria Laura Parisi

    (Università degli Studi di Brescia)

  • Nicola Pontarollo

    (Università degli Studi di Brescia)

  • Massimiliano Rizzati

    (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei)

  • Alessandro Varacca

    (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore)

  • Sergio Vergalli

    (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei
    Università degli Studi di Brescia)

Abstract

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollutant concentrations is known to cause chronic lung inflammation, a condition that may promote increased severity of COVID-19 syndrome caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). In this paper, we empirically investigate the ecologic association between long-term concentrations of area-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and excess deaths in the first quarter of 2020 in municipalities of Northern Italy. The study accounts for potentially spatial confounding factors related to urbanization that may have influenced the spreading of SARS-CoV-2 and related COVID-19 mortality. Our epidemiological analysis uses geographical information (e.g., municipalities) and negative binomial regression to assess whether both ambient PM2.5 concentration and excess mortality have a similar spatial distribution. Our analysis suggests a positive association of ambient PM2.5 concentration on excess mortality in Northern Italy related to the COVID-19 epidemic. Our estimates suggest that a one-unit increase in PM2.5 concentration (µg/m3) is associated with a 9% (95% confidence interval: 6–12%) increase in COVID-19 related mortality.

Suggested Citation

  • Eric S. Coker & Laura Cavalli & Enrico Fabrizi & Gianni Guastella & Enrico Lippo & Maria Laura Parisi & Nicola Pontarollo & Massimiliano Rizzati & Alessandro Varacca & Sergio Vergalli, 2020. "The Effects of Air Pollution on COVID-19 Related Mortality in Northern Italy," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 76(4), pages 611-634, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:76:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s10640-020-00486-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10640-020-00486-1
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    2. Milad Mousazadeh & Biswaranjan Paital & Zohreh Naghdali & Zohreh Mortezania & Marjan Hashemi & Elnaz Karamati Niaragh & Mohammad Aghababaei & Melika Ghorbankhani & Eric Lichtfouse & Mika Sillanpää & K, 2021. "Positive environmental effects of the coronavirus 2020 episode: a review," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(9), pages 12738-12760, September.
    3. Marion Davin & Mouez Fodha & Thomas Seegmuller, 2023. "Environment, public debt, and epidemics," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 25(6), pages 1270-1303, December.
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    5. Borsati, Mattia & Nocera, Silvio & Percoco, Marco, 2022. "Questioning the spatial association between the initial spread of COVID-19 and transit usage in Italy," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    6. Marion Davin & Mouez Fodha & Thomas Seegmuller, 2021. "Environment, public debt and epidemics," AMSE Working Papers 2128, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France.
    7. Luca Di Gialleonardo & Mauro Marè & Antonello Motroni & Francesco Porcelli, 2020. "Family Ties and the Pandemic: Some Evidence from Sars-CoV-2," Working papers 100, Società Italiana di Economia Pubblica.
    8. Pérez-Martínez, P.J. & Dunck, J.A. & de Assunção, J.V. & Connerton, P. & Slovic, A.D. & Ribeiro, H. & Miranda, R.M., 2022. "Long-term commuting times and air quality relationship to COVID-19 in São Paulo," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    9. Marcos Díaz Ramírez & Paolo Veneri & Alexander C. Lembcke, 2022. "Where did it hit harder? Understanding the geography of excess mortality during the COVID‐19 pandemic," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(3), pages 889-908, June.
    10. Abdullah Addas & Ahmad Maghrabi, 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Air Quality—A Global Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-31, September.
    11. Jorge A Bonilla & Alejandro Lopez-Feldman & Paula Pereda & Nathaly M. Rivera & J. Cristobal Ruiz-Tagle, 2021. "Long-Term Air Pollution Exposure and COVID-19 Mortality in Latin America," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2021_23, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP), revised 02 Feb 2023.
    12. Murtaza Mohammadi & John Calautit, 2021. "Impact of Ventilation Strategy on the Transmission of Outdoor Pollutants into Indoor Environment Using CFD," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-18, September.
    13. Marco Quatrosi, 2020. "Analysis of monthly CO2 emission trends for major EU Countries: a time series approach," SEEDS Working Papers 1520, SEEDS, Sustainability Environmental Economics and Dynamics Studies, revised Nov 2020.
    14. Berta, Paolo & Bratti, Massimiliano & Fiorio, Carlo V. & Pisoni, Enrico & Verzillo, Stefano, 2021. "Administrative Border Effects in COVID-19 Related Mortality," IZA Discussion Papers 14930, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Hannah Howland & Vadim Keyser, 2023. "Built environment as interface: a relation-based framework for the intersections between built, biotic, social, and health processes during COVID-19 and beyond," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-20, December.
    16. Zhanhang Zhou & Linjian Cao & Kuokuo Zhao & Dongliang Li & Ci Ding, 2021. "Spatio-Temporal Effects of Multi-Dimensional Urbanization on Carbon Emission Efficiency: Analysis Based on Panel Data of 283 Cities in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-20, December.
    17. Brandon Michael Taylor & Michael Ash & Lawrence Peter King, 2022. "Initially High Correlation between Air Pollution and COVID-19 Mortality Declined to Zero as the Pandemic Progressed: There Is No Evidence for a Causal Link between Air Pollution and COVID-19 Vulnerabi," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-9, August.
    18. Murtaza Mohammadi & John Calautit, 2022. "Quantifying the Transmission of Outdoor Pollutants into the Indoor Environment and Vice Versa—Review of Influencing Factors, Methods, Challenges and Future Direction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-27, August.
    19. Liu, Ziheng & Chen, Xi & Lu, Qinan, 2023. "Blowin' in the Wind of an Invisible Killer: Long-Term Exposure to Ozone and Respiratory Mortality in the United States," IZA Discussion Papers 15981, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Becchetti, Leonardo & Beccari, Gabriele & Conzo, Gianluigi & Conzo, Pierluigi & De Santis, Davide & Salustri, Francesco, 2022. "Particulate matter and COVID-19 excess deaths: Decomposing long-term exposure and short-term effects," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    21. Feng Wang & Xing Ge & Danwen Huang, 2022. "Government Intervention, Human Mobility, and COVID-19: A Causal Pathway Analysis from 121 Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-26, March.
    22. Cappelli, Federica & Guastella, Gianni & Pareglio, Stefano, 2021. "Urban Sprawl and Air Quality in European Cities: an Empirical Assessment," FEEM Working Papers 309920, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    23. Hui Sun & Chunhui Liu & Jiaxing Wei, 2021. "Identifying Key Sites of Green Infrastructure to Support Ecological Restoration in the Urban Agglomeration," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-13, November.
    24. Jeffrey D Sachs & Salim Abdool Karim & Lara Aknin & Joseph Allen & Kirsten Brosbol & Gabriela Cuevas Barron & Peter Daszak & María Fernanda Espinosa & Vitor Gaspar & Alejandro Gaviria & Andy Haines, 2020. "Lancet COVID-19 Commission Statement on the occasion of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly," DEOS Working Papers 2032, Athens University of Economics and Business.
    25. Macarena Valdés Salgado & Pamela Smith & Mariel A. Opazo & Nicolás Huneeus, 2021. "Long-Term Exposure to Fine and Coarse Particulate Matter and COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality Rate in Chile during 2020," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-12, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; Mortality; Pollution; Italy; Municipalities;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts

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