The Relation of Air Pollution on Morbidity and Mortality of SARS-CoV Infection in Tekirdag, Türkiye

Abstract

Background: We aimed to investigate the relation between environmental air pollutants such as Particulate Matter 10 (PM10), Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) on daily cases and deaths associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: The ecological research examined the correlations of the air quality metrics and the data of COVID-19 cases and deaths from March 1, 2020 to March 1, 2021 in the central District of Tekirdağ Province in Türkiye. Results: During the study period, the average PM10 concentration was 32.57±17.86 µg/m3, PM<inf>2.5</inf> was 20.68±11.31 µg/m3, SO<inf>2</inf> was 11.28±13.42 µg/m3, and NO<inf>2</inf> was 19.07±7.26 µg/m3. The SARS-CoV-2 case fatality rate in the study area during this period was 3.2%. Correlation analyses between air pollutants and SARS-CoV-2 cases and deaths revealed significant positive associations between SARS-CoV-2 cases (r=0.220 for PM<inf>10</inf>, P<0.001; r=0.290 for PM<inf>2.5</inf>, P<0.001; r=0.218 for SO<inf>2</inf>, P<0.001) and deaths (r=0.203 for PM<inf>10</inf>, P<0.001; r=0.289 for PM<inf>2.5</inf>, P<0.001; r=0.278 for SO<inf>2</inf>, P<0.001). Moreover, regression analysis revealed that ambient sulfur dioxide (SO<inf>2</inf>) levels significantly predicted both COVID-19 incidence and mortality. Conclusion: PM<inf>10</inf>, PM<inf>2.5</inf>, and SO<inf>2</inf>, key parameters for assessing air quality, exhibit a positive relationship with the increasing number of daily SARS-CoV-2 cases and daily deaths in the study area. © © 2025 Varol et al.