Air Pollutants Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic in more Polluted Cities in Central and Southern Chile
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24203/8njfqa49Keywords:
SARS-CoV-2, Firewood Pollution, Health Impacts, Particulate Matter.Abstract
This article studies air quality in some of the most polluted medium-sized cities in Central and Southern Chile, which have experienced high levels of coarse and fine particulate matter pollution in recent years. Since air quality is much better in spring and summer, the study focused on the winter period (from April 1 to August 31) and between 2018 and 2023, corresponding to the pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on air quality in ten urban areas declared saturated by air pollution. Elsewhere in the world, and during the same period, air quality improved due to a recession or decrease in human activity. This was due to the quarantine imposed on the global population when the WHO declared the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. However, this study detected a possible increase in environmental pollution between 2020 and 2022 in all the cities studied. The possible causes of this phenomenon are investigated. Finally, it was observed that the population was exposed to poor air quality throughout the study period in the different cities studied, which could have had very detrimental effects on the population's health.
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