Eliminating Air Pollution from “Amazing” Reports of Covid-19 and Race | Environment

It was “amazing” and “totally irresponsible” that air pollution could not be considered as a cause of high coronavirus mortality among ethnic minorities, according to public critics. health British review.

of PHE report What was released on Tuesday confirmed the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on ethnic minorities, but did not mention air pollution. Minority UK, Us In other areas, it is generally known that the level of air pollution is high, Growing evidence around the world Association of dirty air exposure with increased coronavirus infection and mortality.

Scientists say air pollution should be considered “absolutely” and can have a double effect: long-term exposure weakens lungs and heart, and short-term exposure Increase the likelihood of virus infection.. Before the pandemic, air pollution was estimated to cause 40,000 premature deaths in the UK each year. This is about the same as the official UK coronavirus death to date.

“It’s amazing they didn’t see air pollution,” he said. Rosamundoxy Debra, World Health Organization advocating health and air quality. She Daughter Ella died in 2013 From the severe asthma attack currently held by medical professionals Related to the rapid increase in air pollution..

“Air pollution is associated with diabetes, stroke, heart attacks, and asthma attacks, and people with basic health conditions Die further from Covid-19“She said.” So not only are health inequalities the worst in the BAME community, adding deadly respiratory viruses, but worsening the black and minority communities. I was expecting it.

“Some people say that air pollution itself is racism, but it nevertheless over-effects blacks. Covid-19 made it more apparent.”

Chair Jerein Davis All Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution“It is completely irresponsible that PHE does not correct air pollution and occupations. Therefore, in this review, [minority ethnic] Communities may be more susceptible to coronaviruses instead of saying they live in more polluted areas and are harmed by being overvalued among the front line workers. “

Professor Jonathan Grigg of the University of Queen Mary, London, advises the government, said a member of the Commission on the Medical Impact of Air Pollutants: It’s completely plausible [and] At least you need to ask a question.

“You may be double-hit,” he said, from long-term and short-term exposure to dirty air. “[Exposed groups] It is vulnerable to the air pollution coming into Covid, so it contributes to some extent, but I’m not sure how much. “

Professor Francesca Dominici of Harvard University in the United States also said pollution is an important factor. “There is extensive evidence that the health risks associated with exposure to air pollution are high among ethnic minorities.” Her study found that even a slight increase in previous pollution exposures Related to 8% increase in Covid-19 mortality..

The PHE report was severely criticized for lacking recommendations on how to reduce the disproportionate impact among ethnic minorities and for deleting sections detailing responses from third parties. Many emphasized structural racism.. On Thursday, Minister of Equality, Kemi Badenock, Refusing the claim of “total fraud” It was the reason for the disparity. Scientists say genetic factors are unlikely to play a large role.

“We need to do more to understand the key drivers of the disparity,” Badenoch said, and the PHE did not make the recommendation because the necessary data was not available. It was On Friday, the Equality and Human Rights Commission Perform a detailed analysis It then develops urgent recommendations to address the loss of lives of people from ethnic minorities.

A PHE spokesman said: “The review considered factors such as age, gender, geography, ethnicity, occupation, and deprivation. These were: Job entrustment conditions.. To better understand the gap, PHE’s work is Research call.. “

Winston Morgan, a toxicologist and clinical biochemist at the University of East London, said: With structural racism.

“Simple genetic causes associated with race do not make scientific sense. The data show that the affected groups exceed the classical definition of both race and ethnicity. This does not make it very difficult to find very small subpopulations with mutations when all of the data are examined, but using racism as an explanation can link to something specific to the victim. “Many people find it easier to explain racism.”

Dominichi said: “I really doubt that genetic factors play a bigger role than environmental and social factors and racism.”

“Issey Bray, a health statistics expert at the University of the West of England, said: “Other diseases can’t be ruled out because they affect a particular ethnic group for genetic reasons, such as sickle cell anemia. But the link between ethnicity and coronavirus risk is It is already clear that is explained by various social factors, and we should address these inequalities.”

Scientists ideally could use personal data to identify the effects of air pollution if carefully analyzed along with other important factors such as population density, deprivation, occupation, and obesity. .. Bray said smartphone apps that monitor symptoms may help by providing a large amount of personal data and location information.