Smog is the natural enemy of humanity. The pollution created by transportation, shipping, and industry has been killing us slowly for decades, contributing to numerous respiratory diseases. And according to a new joint study from the universities of Bologna and Bari in Italy, smog may have been a contributing factor in the spread of COVID-19.
By latching on to PM 2.5 particles in a smoggy city, the coronavirus could float around in the air just waiting to be breathed in by an unsuspecting passerby. With a recent massive reduction in air pollution associated with the world’s population on lockdown, the virus is finding fewer particles in the air to latch onto, and the study posits it is slightly less easy to spread as a result.
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