
Investigation of Outdoor/Indoor Air Quality During the Outbreak of COVID-19: A Review Study
European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 2022, 6(1), em0180, https://doi.org/10.21601/ejosdr/11726
ABSTRACT
The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has enormously affected the world and become a worldwide problem. To control the spread of COVID-19, human behaviors are generally controlled in most countries. However, exposure to air pollution causes increased susceptibility to COVID-19. The goal of this review research was to investigate the outdoor/indoor air quality during the outbreak of COVID-19. A review search was carried out from the databases Scopus, PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Embase using the key words: “air quality” and “COVID-19 pandemic”. Twenty-four released articles were ultimately identified as eligible candidates for review study. The type of environment, country and city, type of study, goal of study, and study findings were analyzed. The results demonstrated the significant relationship between air pollution (PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3) and the COVID-19 event. Indoor pollutant concentrations were typically higher during COVID-19 lockdown. There is also a relationship between meteorological parameters (rainfall, relative humidity, temperature, wind speed, and sunlight) and COVID-19 spread. The air quality index (AQI) of most countries improved to varying grades of quality under the COVID-19 infection control. It is crucial that policy makers and decision makers adopt more valuable methods to assist betterment of air pollution, particularly in developing nations, or control contact with pollutants so as to preserve public wellbeing.
KEYWORDS
CITATION (APA)
Fadaei, A. (2022). Investigation of Outdoor/Indoor Air Quality During the Outbreak of COVID-19: A Review Study. European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 6(1), em0180. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejosdr/11726
Harvard
Fadaei, A. (2022). Investigation of Outdoor/Indoor Air Quality During the Outbreak of COVID-19: A Review Study. European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 6(1), em0180. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejosdr/11726
Vancouver
Fadaei A. Investigation of Outdoor/Indoor Air Quality During the Outbreak of COVID-19: A Review Study. EUR J SUSTAIN DEV RES. 2022;6(1):em0180. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejosdr/11726
AMA
Fadaei A. Investigation of Outdoor/Indoor Air Quality During the Outbreak of COVID-19: A Review Study. EUR J SUSTAIN DEV RES. 2022;6(1), em0180. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejosdr/11726
Chicago
Fadaei, Abdolmajid. "Investigation of Outdoor/Indoor Air Quality During the Outbreak of COVID-19: A Review Study". European Journal of Sustainable Development Research 2022 6 no. 1 (2022): em0180. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejosdr/11726
MLA
Fadaei, Abdolmajid "Investigation of Outdoor/Indoor Air Quality During the Outbreak of COVID-19: A Review Study". European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, vol. 6, no. 1, 2022, em0180. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejosdr/11726
REFERENCES
- Abdullah, S., Abu Mansor, A., Mohd Napi, N. N. L., Wan Mansor, W. N., Ahmed, A. N., Ismail, M. and Ramly, Z. T. A. (2020). Air quality status during 2020 Malaysia Movement Control Order (MCO) due to 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pandemic. Science of the Total Environment, 729, 139022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139022
- Achilleos, S., Al-Ozairic, E., Alahmad, B., Garshick, E., Neophytou, A. M., Bouhamra, W., Yassin, M. F. and Koutrakis, P. (2019). Acute effects of air pollution on mortality: A 17-year analysis in Kuwait. Environment International, 126, 476-483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.01.072
- Ahlawat, A., Mishra, S. K., Birks, J. W., Costabile, F. and Wiedensohler, A. (2020). Preventing airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitals and nursing homes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22), 8553. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228553
- Ahmadi, D. and Fadaei, A. (2021). Efficiency evaluation of hospitals sterilization by biological and chemical methods. Quality of Life, 20(1-2), 23-30. https://doi.org/10.7251/QOL2101023A
- Ahmadi, M., Sharifi, A., Dorosti, S., Ghoushchi, S. J. and Ghanbari, N. (2020). Investigation of effective climatology parameters on COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. Science of the Total Environment, 729, 138705. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138705
- Ash’aari, Z. H., Aris, A. Z., Ezani, E., Kamal, N. I. A., Jaafar, N., Jahaya, J. N., Abdul Manan, S. and Umar Saifuddin, M. F. (2020). Spatiotemporal variations and contributing factors of air pollutant concentrations in Malaysia during movement control order due to pandemic COVID-19. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 20(10), 2047-2061. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.06.0334
- Bao, R. and Zhang, A. (2020). Does lockdown reduce air pollution? Evidence from 44 cities in northern China. Science of the Total Environment, 731, 139052. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139052
- Bashir, M. F., Ma, B., Komal, B., Bashir, M. A., Tan, D. and Bashir, M. (2020). Correlation between climate indicators and COVID-19 pandemic in New York, USA. Science of the Total Environment, 728, 138835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138835
- Bourdrel, T., Annesi-Maesano, I., Alahmad, B., Maesano, C. N. and Bind, M.-A. (2021). The impact of outdoor air pollution on COVID-19: A review of evidence from in vitro, animal, and human studies. European Respiratory Review, 30(159), 200242. https://doi.org/10.1183/16000617.0242-2020
- Brandt, E. B., Beck, A. F. and Mersha, T. B. (2020). Air pollution, racial disparities, and COVID-19 mortality. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 146(1), 61-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2020.04.035
- Briz-Redón, Á. and Serrano-Aroca, Á. (2020). A spatio-temporal analysis for exploring the effect of temperature on COVID-19 early evolution in Spain. Science of the Total Environment, 728, 138811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138811
- Briz-Redón, Á., Belenguer-Sapiña, C. and Serrano-Aroca, Á. (2021). Changes in air pollution during COVID-19 lockdown in Spain: A multi-city study. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 101, 16-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2020.07.029
- Cacho, P. M., Hernández, J. L., López-Hoyos, M. and Martínez-Taboada, V. M. (2020). Can climatic factors explain the differences in COVID-19 incidence and severity across the Spanish regions? An ecological study. Environmental Health, 19(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-020-00660-4
- Cameletti, M. (2020). The effect of corona virus lockdown on air pollution: Evidence from the City of Brescia in Lombardia Region (Italy). Atmospheric Environment, 239, 117794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.117794
- Chen, Q.-X., Huang, C.-L., Yuan, Y. and Tan, H.-P. (2020). Influence of COVID-19 event on air quality and their association in Mainland China. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 20(7), 1541-1551. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.05.0224
- Chirico, F., Sacco, A., Bragazzi, N. L. and Magnavita, N. (2020). Can air-conditioning systems contribute to the spread of SARS/MERS/COVID-19 infection? Insights from a rapid review of the literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(17), 6052. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176052
- Coccia, M. (2020). Factors determining the diffusion of COVID-19 and suggested strategy to prevent future accelerated viral infectivity similar to COVID. Science of the Total Environment, 729, 138474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138474
- Coccia, M. (2021). How do low wind speeds and high levels of air pollution support the spread of COVID-19? Atmospheric Pollution Research, 12(1), 437-445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2020.10.002
- Cole, M. A., Elliott, R. J. and Liu, B. (2020). The impact of the Wuhan Covid-19 lockdown on air pollution and health: A machine learning and augmented synthetic control approach. Environmental and Resource Economics, 76(4), 553-580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-020-00483-4
- Collivignarelli, M. C., Abbà, A., Bertanza, G., Pedrazzani, R., Ricciardi, P. and Miino, M.C. (2020). Lockdown for CoViD-2019 in Milan: What are the effects on air quality? Science of the Total Environment, 732, 139280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139280
- Comunian, S., Dongo, D., Milani, C. and Palestini, P. (2020). Air pollution and COVID-19: The role of particulate matter in the spread and increase of COVID-19’s morbidity and mortality. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), 4487. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124487
- Conticini, E., Frediani, B. and Caro, D. (2020). Can atmospheric pollution be considered a co-factor in extremely high level of SARS-CoV-2 lethality in Northern Italy? Environmental Pollution, 261, 114465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114465
- Correia, G., Rodrigues, L., Da Silva, M. G. and Gonçalves, T. (2020). Airborne route and bad use of ventilation systems as non-negligible factors in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Medical Hypotheses, 141, 109781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109781
- Czerwińska, J. and Wielgosiński, G. (2020). The effect of selected meteorological factors on the process of “Polish smog” formation. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 21(1), 180-187. https://doi.org/10.12911/22998993/112764
- Dabisch, P., Schuit, M., Herzog, A., Beck, K., Wood, S., Krause, M., Miller, D., Weaver, W., Freeburger, D., Hooper, I., Green, B., Williams, G., Holland, B., Bohannon, J., Wahl, V., Yolitz, J., Hevey, M. and Ratnesar-Shumate, S. (2021). The influence of temperature, humidity, and simulated sunlight on the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosols. Aerosol Science and Technology, 55(2), 142-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2020.1829536
- Dang, H.-A. H. and Trinh, T.-A. (2021). Does the COVID-19 lockdown improve global air quality? New cross-national evidence on its unintended consequences. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 105, 102401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2020.102401
- Dantas, G., Siciliano, B., França, B. B., da Silva, C. M. and Arbilla, G. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 partial lockdown on the air quality of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Science of the Total Environment, 729, 139085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139085
- Domínguez-Amarillo, S., Fernández-Agüera, J., Cesteros-García, S. and González-Lezcano, R. A. (2020). Bad air can also kill: Residential indoor air quality and pollutant exposure risk during the COVID-19 crisis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), 7183. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197183
- Dong, R., Fisman, R., Wang, Y. and Xu, N. (2019). Air pollution, affect, and forecasting bias: Evidence from Chinese financial analysts. Journal of Financial Economics, 139(3), 971-984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2019.12.004
- Elsaid, A. M. and Ahmed, M. S. (2021). Indoor air quality strategies for air-conditioning and ventilation systems with the spread of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic: Improvements and recommendations. Environmental Research, 111314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.111314
- Farhadi, Z., Gorgi, H. A., Shabaninejad, H., Delavar, M. A. and Torani, S. (2020). Association between PM2.5 and risk of hospitalization for myocardial infarction: A systematic review and a meta-analysis. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 314. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-8262-3
- Fattorini, D. and Regoli, F. (2020). Role of the chronic air pollution levels in the Covid-19 outbreak risk in Italy. Environmental Pollution, 264, 114732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114732
- Fernández-Agüera, J., Domínguez-Amarillo, S., Sendra, J. J., Suárez, R. and Oteiza, I. (2019). Social housing airtightness in Southern Europe. Energy and Buildings, 183, 377-391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2018.10.041
- Filonchyk, M. and Peterson, M. (2020). Air quality changes in Shanghai, China, and the surrounding urban agglomeration during the COVID-19 lockdown. Journal of Geovisualization and Spatial Analysis, 4(2), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41651-020-00064-5
- Gan, W. Q., Davies, H. W., Koehoorn, M. and Brauer, M. (2012). Association of long-term exposure to community noise and traffic-related air pollution with coronary heart disease mortality. American Journal of Epidemiology, 175(9), 898-906. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwr424
- He, G., Pan, Y. and Tanaka, T. (2020). The short-term impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on urban air pollution in China. Nature Sustainability, 3(12),1005-1011. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-0581-y
- Hoque, M., Ashraf, Z., Kabir, H., Sarker, E. and Nasrin, S. (2020). Meteorological influences on seasonal variations of air pollutants (SO2, NO2, O3, CO, PM2.5 and PM10) in the Dhaka Megacity. American Journal of Pure and Applied Biosciences, 2, 15-23. https://doi.org/10.34104/ajpab.020.15023
- Hou, K. and Xu, X. (2022). Evaluation of the influence between local meteorology and air quality in Beijing using generalized additive models. Atmosphere, 13(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13010024
- Ito, K. and Zhang, S. (2020). Willingness to pay for clean air: Evidence from air purifier markets in China. Journal of Political Economy, 128(5), 1627-1672. https://doi.org/10.1086/705554
- Jia, B., Liu, S. and Ng, M (2021). Air quality and key variables in high-density housing. Sustainability, 13(8), 4281. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084281
- Kanniah, K. D., Zaman, N. A. F. K., Kaskaoutis, D. G. and Latif, M. T. (2020). COVID-19’s impact on the atmospheric environment in the Southeast Asia region. Science of the Total Environment, 736, 139658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139658
- Latif, M. T., Dominick, D., Hawari, N. S. S. L., Mohtar, A. A. A. and Othman, M. (2021). The concentration of major air pollutants during the movement control order due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Sustainable Cities and Society, 66, 102660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102660
- Li, H., Liu, S.-M., Yu, X.-H., Tang, S.-L. and Tang, C.-K. (2020). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Current status and future perspectives. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 55(5), 105951. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2020.105951
- Li, J. and Tartarini, F. (2020). Changes in air quality during the COVID-19 lockdown in Singapore and associations with human mobility trends. Aerosol and Air Quality Research 20(8), 1748-1758. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.06.0303
- Lin, K. and Marr, L. C. (2019). Humidity-dependent decay of viruses, but not bacteria, in aerosols and droplets follows disinfection kinetics. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(2), 1024-1032. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04959
- Lokhandwala, S. and Gautam, P. (2020). Indirect impact of COVID-19 on environment: A brief study in Indian context. Environmental Research, 188, 109807. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.109807
- Ma, Y., Zhao, Y., Liu, J., He, X., Wang, B., Fu, S., Yan, J., Niu, J., Zhou, J. and Luo, B. (2020). Effects of temperature variation and humidity on the death of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. Science of the Total Environment, 724, 138226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138226
- Mahato, S., Pal, S. and Ghosh, K. G. (2020). Effect of lockdown amid COVID-19 pandemic on air quality of the megacity Delhi, India. Science of the Total Environment, 730, 139086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139086
- Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J. and Altman, D. G. (2010). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. International Journal of Surgery, 8(5), 336-341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2010.02.007
- Navinya, C., Patidar, G. and Phuleria, H. C. (2020). Examining effects of the COVID-19 national lockdown on ambient air quality across urban India. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 20(8), 1759-1771. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.05.0256
- Nazari, A., Jafari, M., Rezaei, N., Arash-Azad, S., Talati, F., Nejad-Rahim, R., Taghizadeh-Hesary, F. and Taghizadeh-Hesary, F. (2021). Effects of high-speed wind, humidity, and temperature on the generation of a SARS-CoV-2 aerosol; a novel point of view. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 21, 200574-200574. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.200574
- Nwanaji-Enwerem, J. C., Allen, J. G. and Beamer, P. I. (2020). Another invisible enemy indoors: COVID-19, human health, the home, and United States indoor air policy. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 30(5), 773-775. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-020-0247-x
- Ogen, Y. (2020). Assessing nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels as a contributing factor to coronavirus (COVID-19) fatality. Science of the Total Environment, 726, 138605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139239
- Quang, T. N., He, C., Morawska, L. and Knibbs, L. D. (2013). Influence of ventilation and filtration on indoor particle concentrations in urban office buildings. Atmospheric Environment, 79, 41-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.06.009
- Radzka, E. (2020). The effect of meteorological conditions on air pollution in Siedlce. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 21(1), 97-104. https://doi.org/10.12911/22998993/113074
- Rezaei, N., Jafari, M., Nazari, A., Salehi, S., Talati, F., Torab, R. and Nejad-Rahim, R. (2020). A novel methodology and new concept of SARS-CoV-2 elimination in heating and ventilating air conditioning systems using waste heat recovery. AIP Advances, 10(8), 085308. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0021575
- Rosario, D. K., Mutz, Y. S., Bernardes, P. C. and Conte-Junior, C. A. (2020). Relationship between COVID-19 and weather: Case study in a tropical country. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 229, 113587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113587
- Sadeghi, M., Fadaei, A. and Ataee, M. (2020). Assessment of hospitals medical waste management in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province in Iran. Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science, 5(2), 157-163. https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2020.0502011
- Sangiorgi, G., Ferrero, L., Ferrini, B. S., Lo Porto, C., Perrone, M. G., Zangrando, R., Gambaro, A., Lazzati, Z. and Bolzacchini, E. (2013). Indoor airborne particle sources and semi-volatile partitioning effect of outdoor fine PM in offices. Atmospheric Environment, 65, 205-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2012.10.050
- Shin, S., Bai, L., Oiamo, T. H., Burnett, R. T., Weichenthal, S., Jerrett, M., Kwong, J. C., Goldberg, M. S., Copes, R., Kopp, A. and Chen, H. (2020). Association between road traffic noise and incidence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension in Toronto, Canada: A population‐based cohort study. Journal of the American Heart Association, 9(6), e013021. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.013021
- Song, Y., Li, Z., Liu, J., Yang, T., Zhang, M. and Pang, J. (2021). The effect of environmental regulation on air quality in China: A natural experiment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Atmospheric Pollution Research, 12(4), 21-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2021.02.010
- Spena, A., Palombi, L., Corcione, M., Carestia, M. and Spena, V. A. (2020). On the optimal indoor air conditions for SARS-CoV-2 inactivation. An enthalpy-based approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(17), 6083. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176083
- Tan, C. C., Finney, K. N., Chen, Q., Russell, N. V., Sharifi, V. N. and Swithenbank, J. (2013). Experimental investigation of indoor air pollutants in residential buildings. Indoor and Built Environment, 22(3), 471-489. https://doi.org/10.1177/1420326X12441806
- Tian, X., An, C., Chen, Z. and Tian, Z. (2021). Assessing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on urban transportation and air quality in Canada. Science of The Total Environment, 765, 144270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144270
- Tobías, A., Carnerero, C., Reche, C., Massagué, J., Via, M., Minguillón, M. C., Alastuey, A. and Querol, X. (2020). Changes in air quality during the lockdown in Barcelona (Spain) one month into the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Science of the Total Environment, 726, 138540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138540
- Tosepu, R., Gunawan, J., Effendy, D. S., Lestari, H., Bahar, H. and Asfian, P. (2020). Correlation between weather and Covid-19 pandemic in Jakarta, Indonesia. Science of The Total Environment, 725, 138436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138436
- Wang, J., Xu, X., Wang, S., He, S. and He, P. (2021). Heterogeneous effects of COVID-19 lockdown measures on air quality in Northern China. Applied Energy, 282, 116179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.116179
- Wetchayont, P. (2021). Investigation on the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown and influencing factors on air quality in Ggreater Bangkok, Thailand. Advances in Meteorology, 2021, 6697707. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6697707
- Wu, X., Nethery, R. C., Sabath, B. M., Braun, D. and Dominici, F. (2020a). Exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in the United States. MedRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.05.20054502
- Wu, X., Nethery, R. C., Sabath, M., Braun, D. and Dominici, F. (2020b). Air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in the United States: Strengths and limitations of an ecological regression analysis. Science Advances, 6(45), eabd4049. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abd4049
- Xie, J. and Zhu, Y. (2020). Association between ambient temperature and COVID-19 infection in 122 cities from China. Science of the Total Environment, 724, 138201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138201
- Zangari, S., Hill, D. T., Charette, A. T. and Mirowsky, J. E. (2020). Air quality changes in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Science of the Total Environment, 742, 140496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140496
LICENSE

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.