研究稱，空氣污染高的縣Covid-19死亡率上升

研究稱，空氣污染高的縣Covid-19死亡率上升

You are more likely to die from Covid-19 if you live in a county in the United States with higher levels of long-term air pollution, according to new research released Tuesday by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

哈佛公共衛(wèi)生學(xué)院周二公布的一項(xiàng)新研究顯示，如果你長(zhǎng)期生活在美國(guó)一個(gè)空氣污染程度較高的縣，你更可能死于Covid-19.

"We found that an increase of only 1 gram per cubic meter in fine particulate matter in the air was associated with a 15% increase in the Covid-19 death rate," said lead author Francesca Dominici, co-director of the Harvard Data Science Initiative.

“我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，空氣中細(xì)顆粒物每立方米僅增加1克，Covid-19 的死亡率就會(huì)增加15%，”該研究的主要作者、哈佛數(shù)據(jù)科學(xué)計(jì)劃的聯(lián)合主任弗朗西斯卡·多米尼奇說(shuō)。

The study defined high pollution levels as fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) levels above 13 micrograms per cubic meter of air, much higher than the US mean of 8.4.

該研究將高污染水平定義為每立方米空氣中的細(xì)顆粒物(PM2.5)含量超過(guò)13微克，遠(yuǎn)高于美國(guó)的平均值8.4微克。

"The results suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution increases vulnerability to experiencing the most severe Covid-19 outcomes," Dominici said.

多米尼奇說(shuō):“研究結(jié)果表明，長(zhǎng)期暴露于空氣污染中，更容易出現(xiàn)最嚴(yán)重的Covid-19癥狀。”

The new information should be used by federal, state and local officials to make informed decisions about enforcing social distancing and preparing hospitals and local health care systems for a potential influx of more severe cases that will need extreme measures such as ventilators, Dominici said.

多米尼奇說(shuō)，聯(lián)邦、州和地方官員應(yīng)該利用這些新信息做出明智的決定，加強(qiáng)社會(huì)距離，并為醫(yī)院和地方衛(wèi)生保健系統(tǒng)做好準(zhǔn)備，以應(yīng)對(duì)可能出現(xiàn)的更嚴(yán)重的病例，這些病例需要使用呼吸機(jī)等強(qiáng)度措施。

"We know the counties that have higher pollution levels historically," she said. "We know that even if they [the counties] haven't experienced high number of deaths yet, that would be one of their higher risks."

“我們知道歷史上污染水平較高的縣，”她說(shuō)我們知道，即使他們(縣)的死亡人數(shù)還不高，這也是他們面臨的更高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)之一。”

Particulate matter is a mixture of solid and liquid matter found in the air. Dust, dirt and smoke particles are larger but there are also extremely small, inhalable particulates that can't be seen with the naked eye. Those are called PM 2.5 because their size is generally 2.5 micrometers or less.

微粒物質(zhì)是在空氣中發(fā)現(xiàn)的固體和液體物質(zhì)的混合物。灰塵、塵土和煙霧顆粒較大，但也有極小的可吸入顆粒物，肉眼無(wú)法看到。這些被稱為PM2.5.因?yàn)樗鼈兊拇笮⊥ǔＪ?.5微米或更小。

That's really tiny -- for comparison, an average human hair is 30 times larger than a PM 2.5 particle. Because they are so small, these particulates can get deep into the lungs and wreak havoc with our lungs and bodily functions.

相比之下，人類頭發(fā)的平均直徑是PM2.5的30倍。因?yàn)檫@些微粒很小，它們可以深入肺部，對(duì)我們的肺部和身體機(jī)能造成嚴(yán)重破壞。

The researchers then compared those county-level maps of air pollution to current numbers of deaths from Covid-19 through April 4. a number tallied by Johns Hopkins University.

然后，研究人員將這些縣級(jí)的空氣污染地圖與目前的covid19死亡人數(shù)(截至4月4日)進(jìn)行了比較。約翰霍普金斯大學(xué)統(tǒng)計(jì)了這個(gè)數(shù)字。

There is a large overlap between the underlying conditions that put many Covid-19 patients at risk -- such as lung, kidney and heart conditions -- and diseases made worse by long-term exposure to fine particulate matter.

導(dǎo)致許多Covid-19患者面臨肺部、腎臟和心臟疾病風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的潛在疾病與長(zhǎng)期暴露于細(xì)顆粒物中而病情惡化的疾病之間存在很大重疊。

A prior study of 60 million Americans over age 65 by the same research group found that each 1 gram per cubic meter rise in long-term PM 2.5 exposure was associated with a 0.73% increase in the rate of death from any cause.

該研究小組此前對(duì)6.000萬(wàn)65歲以上的美國(guó)人進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，長(zhǎng)期接觸PM2.5每增加1克，任何原因?qū)е碌乃劳雎识紩?huì)增加0.73%。

Compared to those results, the new study showed the same small increase led to a "Covid-19 death rate of a magnitude that is 20 times the one estimated for all-cause mortality."

與這些結(jié)果相比，新的研究表明，同樣的小幅度增長(zhǎng)導(dǎo)致了“Covid-19的死亡率，是全因死亡率的20倍。”

The study said those findings held true after a large set of "socioeconomic, demographic, weather, behavioral, and healthcare-related confounders" were taken into account.

該研究稱，在考慮了大量“社會(huì)經(jīng)濟(jì)、人口統(tǒng)計(jì)學(xué)、天氣、行為和醫(yī)療相關(guān)的混雜因素”后，這些發(fā)現(xiàn)仍然成立。

The study has some limitations, the authors said, including the fact that the data was averaged at a county level.

該研究有一些局限性，作者說(shuō)，包括數(shù)據(jù)的平均水平是在縣一級(jí)。

"If they knew at the individual level the deaths from Covid-19. and knew whether the dead person smoked, had hypertension, had diabetes or any of the other known risk factors, that it would be a stronger analysis," said pulmonologist Dr. John Balmes, a professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco.

加州大學(xué)舊金山分校醫(yī)學(xué)教授約翰·巴爾姆斯博士說(shuō)：“如果他們從個(gè)體水平上知道Covid-19的死亡情況，知道死者是否吸煙、高血壓、糖尿病或其他已知的危險(xiǎn)因素，這將是一個(gè)更有力的分析。”