No pollution link to Covid deaths

Air pollution may have less of an effect on the risk of dying from coronavirus than previously thought, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.

Previous research had suggested toxic air with high levels of pollutants such as fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide which are harmful to health could be increasing Covid-19 deaths.

But analysis by the ONS has found while the pollutants may have a correlation with increased mortality rates from Covid-19, the scale of the impact may be smaller than reported in those earlier studies. Death rates have generally been higher in polluted areas, but that does not on its own mean toxic air is worsening the risk from the virus, the assessment said.

Poorer communities and people who are black, Asian and minority ethnic have seen higher death rates from the virus, and are also likely to suffer from worse air pollution.

The early link between exposure to dirty air and Covid-19 deaths appears to be partly down to the outbreak in London where pollution levels are generally higher, the ONS said.