Earth Day went nearly unnoticed this year. Being in the throes of a worldwide pandemic due to COVID-19, people were likely more focused on their glaring lack of social plans in April than on the planet. However, the environmental benefits of quarantine have unexpectedly begun to reveal themselves, making this year’s Earth Day one that should be celebrated rather than forgotten.
With people confined to their homes, air pollution worldwide has declined at levels unseen up until this point.
With people confined to their homes, air pollution worldwide has declined at levels unseen up until this point. As automobile emissions drop because of work-at-home orders and power plants lessen electricity production, record low nitrogen dioxide emissions have been recorded in regions such as the Chesapeake Bay. This decrease is noteworthy because of the harmful environmental effects of nitrogen dioxide, a gaseous air pollutant released from the fuel burned in vehicles and power plants. Nitrogen dioxide has a myriad of environmental consequences, including its reaction with other atmospheric particles to produce acid rain, ability to make air hazy, and contribution of nutrient pollution in coastal waters. In addition, the presence of this gas in the air also irritates human respiratory tracts, which can lead to aggravating respiratory symptoms and even the development of asthma. While nitrogen dioxide itself is not a greenhouse gas, it is an important component of tropospheric ozone, which is a greenhouse gas.
While the benefits of this decrease are certainly visible in the United States, they are even more evident in China, a country notorious for its severe air pollution. China set a roughly one month traffic mobility ban in response to the virus this year, which, according to a study conducted by the Yale School of Public Health, led to a clear improvement in air quality. This order has prevented a roughly estimated 12,000 premature deaths strictly from air pollution, which is approximately three times more premature deaths than those who would have been infected with COVID-19 during this timespan. This trend has shown researchers and healthcare professionals the immense health benefits that could result from more aggressive policy with regard to air pollutants.
Despite the current trends, scientists are skeptical that these numbers will last past the quarantine era. As states begin to lift restrictions, pollution levels are likely to return to their original numbers.
Despite the current trends, scientists are skeptical that these numbers will last past the quarantine era. As states begin to lift restrictions, pollution levels are likely to return to their original numbers. These predictions are based on precedent; past instances of a correlation between reduced traffic flow and improved health have been observed in both the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, yet these have not been observed to have lasting impacts. However, more research needs to be conducted to have a stronger grasp of the impacts of short-term air quality improvements on long-term pollution health effects. Regardless of past or future research on the topic, the current trends in air quality still provide valuable insight into how monitoring the environment has a direct impact on human health. Looking forward, this will hopefully be a stepping stone for more research and insight into the negative effects of air pollutants.
Health Effects Institute (2008). DOI: 10.1097/01.ede.0000340468.63293.50
Res Rep Health Eff Inst (2010). PMID: 20575278
Image source: Pixabay.
