Consumer Affairs: Exposure to air pollution may increase COVID-19 severity
Study from UC researcher suggests consumers with respiratory issues vulnerable to harsher symptoms
Angelico Mendy, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the UC College of Medicine, is quoted in a story from Consumer Affairs about a new study from a team of researchers that looks at relationship between air pollution and severity of COVID-19 infections.
Patients who have preexisting respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and live in areas with high levels of air pollution have a greater chance of hospitalization if they contract COVID-19, according to the study.
“Our study didn’t find any correlation between COVID-19 and particulate matter in general, but we found something for people who had asthma and COPD,” said Mendy in the Consumer Affairs story. “People who have preexisting asthma and COPD, when they are exposed to higher levels of particulate matter, they are more likely to have severe COVID-19, severe enough to be hospitalized.”
Mendy led a team of researchers in an individual-level study which used a statistical model to evaluate the association between long-term exposure to particulate matter less or equal to 2.5 micrometers— it refers to a mixture of tiny particles and droplets in the air that are two-and-one half microns or less in width — and hospitalizations for COVID-19. Medical records allowed researchers to use patients’ zip codes for estimating their particulate exposure over a 10-year period.
Read the full Consumer Affairs story online.
Learn more about research from Angelico Mendy, MD, PhD.
Other media, national and international publications, also covered Mendy's research including:
Wiadomosci: Does it affect the course of the coronavirus infection? (Poland)
Fanpage.it: High levels of air pollution increase the risk of hospitalization for Covid-19 (Italy)
NotiPress: Contamination could be a factor in causing complications in COVID-19 patients (Mexico)
Featured image of Angelico Mendy, MD, PhD, taken by Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.