Air Pollution & COVID

We have pointed out this research before, but we are glad to see other physicians outside of UPHE are warning the public that air pollution increases the likelihood of catching COVID-19 and of having a more severe outcome.

(Trent Nelson l Salt Lake Tribune) The sun sets over a smoky Salt Lake City on Friday August 21, 2020.

Add the pandemic to all the other reasons for us not to accept public policy or projects that increases our air pollution, or aggravates the climate crisis. Of course, the number one project UPHE thinks of that will undoubtedly increase air pollution is the Utah Inland Port.

Read this Salt Lake Tribune article that reviews how air pollution and COVID-19 are linked.

Doctors have said that fresh air can reduce the spread of the coronavirus — but when that air is polluted, such as during wildfire season, people may be more likely to catch COVID-19 and have more severe cases, a Utah pulmonologist warned.

“One tricky thing is that being outside has been generally safer for COVID-19 transmission,” Dr. Cheryl Pirozzi, a pulmonologist at University of Utah Health, told reporters in a videoconference briefing Monday. “But if we’re in a condition of elevated air pollution due to wildfire smoke, then that’s no longer the safest place to be.”