The effects of increased pollution on COVID-19 cases and deaths

The SARS-COV-2 virus, also known as the coronavirus, has spread around the world. A growing literature suggests that exposure to pollution can cause respiratory illness and increase deaths among the elderly. However, little is known about whether increases in pollution could cause additional or more...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of environmental economics and management Vol. 107; p. 102431
Main Authors Persico, Claudia L., Johnson, Kathryn R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 01.05.2021
Elsevier B.V
Subjects
Analysis
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Environmental law
Health
Health aspects
Pollution
Regulation
COVID-19
Pollution
Health
I10
Regulation
I14
Q53
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Summary:The SARS-COV-2 virus, also known as the coronavirus, has spread around the world. A growing literature suggests that exposure to pollution can cause respiratory illness and increase deaths among the elderly. However, little is known about whether increases in pollution could cause additional or more severe infections from COVID-19, which typically manifests as a respiratory infection. During the pandemic, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled back enforcement of environmental regulation, causing an increase in pollution in counties with more TRI sites. We use the variation in pollution and a difference in differences design to estimate the effects of increased pollution on county-level COVID-19 deaths and cases. We find that counties with more Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) sites saw a 11.8 percent increase in pollution on average following the EPA’s rollback of enforcement, compared to counties with fewer TRI sites. We also find that these policy-induced increases in pollution are associated with a 53 percent increase in cases and a 10.6 percent increase in deaths from COVID-19.
ISSN:0095-0696
1096-0449
0095-0696
DOI:10.1016/j.jeem.2021.102431