Another reason California’s air pollution is deadly? It increases COVID risks, study says

Thousands of COVID-19 deaths could have been prevented statewide if California had better air quality, a new study finds. That’s especially true in the San Joaquin Valley, one of the state’s two most polluted regions.

An estimated 9% of COVID-19-related deaths statewide — or about 4,250 deaths — could have been avoided between February 2020 and February 2021 if California’s levels of fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5, registered within national air quality standards, according to researchers from the Public Health Institute and UC San Francisco.

The researchers studied neighborhood-level air pollution data, examining over 3 million COVID-19 infections and about 50,000 COVID-19 deaths in the early months of the pandemic. They found that people living in neighborhoods exposed to the highest levels of air pollution had a 20% higher risk of COVID-19 infections, a 51% higher risk of COVID-19 mortality and were likely to be Latino and from low-income communities.

The South Coast and San Joaquin Valley air basins have the highest PM 2.5 concentrations in the state.

The tiny droplets and particles that make up PM 2.5 are so small that they can penetrate deep into the lungs. The particles make people more vulnerable to respiratory diseases and with a virus like COVID-19, the combination can be fatal, said Dr. Paul English, lead author of the study and director of the Public Health Institute’s Tracking California program.

The findings could provide another explanation for why Latinos in Fresno County and statewide have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, English said.

Referring to the Latino community, he said: “So, this was interesting that they’re also at risk for even worse COVID-19 outcomes if they’re exposed to air pollution.”

Catherine Garoupa White, executive director of the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition, called the report’s findings “fairly stark.”

“It’s thinking about the number of people’s lives that were impacted and not just the individuals that were lost, but entire communities and family ecosystems that lost loved ones,” she said.

Central Valley’s air pollution increases COVID risk

Two of the main sources of PM 2.5 pollution in the Fresno area are traffic and agriculture, English said.

“We’re not doing a good enough job, in my opinion, in protecting the health of Californians with these types of (air pollution) levels that we’re seeing in the study,” he said.

Emanuel Alcalá, assistant director of the Central Valley Health Policy Institute, agreed that air quality must improve in order to protect community health in the Fresno area.

“If we keep going in the same direction, we should expect the same results,” Alcalá said. “And right now, the results are not good and (are) getting worse so health disparities are widening.”

He called for a “dramatic change” in California’s approach to COVID-19 and air pollution.

“If this data is showing that low-income communities and Latinos are at greater risk for COVID-19 mortality, then why isn’t a response to COVID-19 mortality specifically directed for Latinos and or low-income communities?” he said.

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Jaime Holt, chief communications officer for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, said the study is the latest report to link particulate matter to different types of health outcomes. The findings are “not a surprise,” she said.

“It just reiterated the need for everyone — local, state, federal level (governments), residents, businesses, policymakers — to understand the importance of cleaning up air quality in the San Joaquin Valley and to do it as quickly as possible,” Holt said.

Calls for better air quality in Fresno area

Since the state has not met national air quality standards, English said it’s critical to protect vulnerable populations, including Latinos, low-income communities and outdoor workers.

Essential workers must have paid time off and access to masks during the worst air pollution episodes, he said. Additionally, he said, people need more information regarding the use of home air filters when PM 2.5 spikes.

He acknowledged that taking such steps are a “Band-Aid,” but could reduce some harm.

Holt said the Valley Air District has a series of active grants and resources that help Valley residents swap the machinery and technology they use at home or in the fields for less polluting options.

“We have been and continue to be focused on cleaning up air pollution as quickly as possible because it is a major problem in the San Joaquin Valley,” she said.

But Garoupa White, with the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition, said the air district isn’t doing enough to protect the region’s most vulnerable residents. She resigned from the district’s Public Advisory Workgroup (PAW) last month, alleging the group isn’t doing enough to protect the public health of the region’s residents.

“The incentive programs and plans that are implemented are failing,” she said.

She called for a different approach.

“If we truly want to achieve clean air and protect the most vulnerable households, we need to be implementing solutions that provide direct benefits to them and that reduce pollution,” she said.