Clear that air pollution contributes to Covid deaths: ICMR

Amid coronavirus pandemic and the onset of winters in the country, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday said that studies have proven that long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to an increased risk of dying from Covid-19.

"There have been studies from Europe and US, where they have looked at polluted areas and have compared mortality during lockdown and correlation with pollution. It is found that pollution is contributing to mortality in COVID, that's well established by studies," said Dr Balram Bhargava, DG ICMR, in a health ministry briefing today.

According to a study, published in Cardiovascular Research on Tuesday, scientists estimated that about 15% of deaths worldwide from COVID-19 could be attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution. In Europe the proportion was about 19%, in North America it was 17%, and in East Asia about 27%.