by Abby Wester ‘22
When COVID-19 emerged earlier this year, the virus seemed to equally affect people, no matter their life circumstances. Everyday people, celebrities, professional athletes and world leaders alike have all been diagnosed with the virus. However, the past few weeks have proven that to be untrue. Instead, the effects of the pandemic have highlighted societal inequality, specifically in the United States. One form of inequality tied to the effects of COVID-19 is environmental conditions.
A study published by Harvard University on April 5 concluded that “a small increase in long-term exposure to PM2.5 [particulate matter] leads to a large increase in COVID-19 death rate.” PM2.5 is fine, organic or inorganic particles found in the air, some of which can be caused by pollution (such as burning fossil fuels) and are harmful to human health. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), long-term exposure to air polluted with PM2.5 can result in respiratory and heart problems. As COVID-19 is a viral respiratory illness, there is a link between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and increased death rates of COVID-19.
“[We] have known for quite some time (early 2000s) that there is a correlation between air pollution exposure and increased severity (morbidity) and death rates (mortality) of viral respiratory infections,” says Professor Jennifer Albertine, visiting lecturer in environmental studies at Mount Holyoke. Professor Albertine teaches courses relating to the environment and human health. She wrote her dissertation on the intersection between climate change, air pollution, plant biology and human health.
“We find the highest levels of environmental pollution in our poorest communities. A majority of which are also communities of color. We also see the lowest access to health care in these communities as their minimum wage jobs do not provide health insurance and the access to doctors is reduced due to financial access.” Professor Albertine explains. The inequity in the placement of pollution creates a detrimental compounding effect on the lives of poorer communities and communities of color. This makes the pandemic not only a health crisis, but an economic crisis as well.
However, Professor Albertine explains that the racial and economic inequities of the coronavirus pandemic do not stop at those individuals. “[It] is these same communities that grow our food, stock our grocery shelves, work in our factories and essentially make our economic system go and so we are looking at reduced access to the goods and a huge impact on our economy. Thus even the richest are affected by this inequity.”
In the conclusion of the Harvard University study, the authors said “[the] study results underscore the importance of continuing to enforce existing air pollution regulations to protect human health both during and after the COVID-19 crisis.”
Professor Albertine says that regulations alone are not the only solution. “We need to stop putting profit over people. Capitalism needs to be put in check. And we need equitable access to health care for all. This pandemic has shined a light on these inequities and showed us that we can’t continue this way.”