Dataset Information

Air pollutant variations in Suzhou during the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown of 2020: High time-resolution measurements of aerosol chemical compositions and source apportionment.

ABSTRACT: To control the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), China imposed rigorous restrictions, which resulted in great reductions in pollutant emissions. This study examines the characteristics of air pollutants, including PM_2.5 (particles with aerodynamic diameters < 2.5 ?m), gas pollutants, water-soluble ions (WSIs), black carbon (BC) and elements, as well as the source apportionment of PM_2.5 in Suzhou before, during and after the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday of 2020 (when China was under an unprecedented state of lockdown to restrict the COVID-19 outbreak). Compared to those before CNY, PM_2.5, BC, SNA (sulfate, nitrate and ammonium), other ions, elements, and NO₂ and CO mass concentrations decreased by 9.9%-64.0% during CNY. The lockdown policy had strong (weak) effects on the diurnal variations in aerosol chemical compositions (gas pollutants). Compared to those before CNY, source concentrations and contributions of vehicle exhaust during CNY decreased by 72.9% and 21.7%, respectively. In contrast, increased contributions from coal combustion and industry were observed during CNY, which were recorded to be 2.9 and 1.7 times higher than those before CNY, respectively. This study highlights that the lockdown policy that was imposed in Suzhou during CNY not only reduced the mass concentrations of air pollutants but also modified their diurnal variations and the source contributions of PM_2.5, which revealed the complex responses of PM_2.5 sources to the rare, low emissions of anthropogenic pollutants that occurred during the COVID-19 lockdown.

SUBMITTER: Wang H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7832523 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Air pollutant variations in Suzhou during the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown of 2020: High time-resolution measurements of aerosol chemical compositions and source apportionment.

Wang Honglei H Miao Qing Q Shen Lijuan L Yang Qian Q Wu Yezheng Y Wei Heng H

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) 20201221

To control the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), China imposed rigorous restrictions, which resulted in great reductions in pollutant emissions. This study examines the characteristics of air pollutants, including PM<sub>2.5</sub> (particles with aerodynamic diameters < 2.5 μm), gas pollutants, water-soluble ions (WSIs), black carbon (BC) and elements, as well as the source apportionment of PM<sub>2.5</sub> in Suzhou before, during and after the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday of 2 ...[more]

PMID: 33373898

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Project description:BackgroundLocal governments in China took restrictive measures after the outbreak of COVID-19 to control its spread, which unintentionally resulted in reduced anthropogenic emission sources of air pollutants. In this study, we intended to examine the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown policy on the concentration levels of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters of ≤1 μm (PM1), ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), and ≤10 μm (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), and carbon monoxide (CO) and the potential subsequent reductions in the incidence of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in Shandong Province, China.MethodsA difference-in-difference model combining the daily incidence data for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and air pollutant data in 126 counties was used to estimate the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the air pollutant levels and ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke incident counts. The avoided ischemic stroke cases related to the changes in air pollutant exposure levels were further estimated using concentration-response functions from previous studies.ResultsThe PM1, PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and CO levels significantly decreased by -30.2, -20.9, -13.5, -46.3, and -13.1%, respectively. The O3 level increased by 11.5% during the lockdown compared with that in the counterfactual lockdown phase of the past 2 years. There was a significant reduction in population-weighted ischemic stroke cases (-15,315, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -27,689, -2,942), representing a reduction of 27.6% (95% CI: -49.9%, -5.3%). The change in the number of hemorrhagic stroke cases was not statistically significant. The total avoided PM1-, PM2.5-, PM10-, NO2-, and CO-related ischemic stroke cases were 739 (95% CI: 641, 833), 509 (95% CI: 440, 575), 355 (95% CI: 304, 405), 1,132 (95% CI: 1,024, 1,240), and 289 (95% CI: 236, 340), respectively.ConclusionThe COVID-19 lockdown indirectly reduced the concentration levels of PM1, PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and CO and subsequently reduced the associated ischemic stroke incidence. The health benefits due to the lockdown are temporary, and long-term measures should be implemented to increase air quality and related health benefits in the post-COVID-19 period.

Dataset Information

Air pollutant variations in Suzhou during the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown of 2020: High time-resolution measurements of aerosol chemical compositions and source apportionment.

Publications

Air pollutant variations in Suzhou during the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown of 2020: High time-resolution measurements of aerosol chemical compositions and source apportionment.

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