Association between environmental levels of PM 2.5 and mortality from SARS-CoV-2 in inhabitants of Mexico City

  1. Moreno-Santillan Armando Alberto
  2. Rivas-Ruiz Rodolfo
  3. Fuentes-Valdivieso Rocio
  4. Roy-Garcia Ivonne Anali

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Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the association between exposure to environmental levels of PM 2.5 and mortality from SARS-CoV-2 in inhabitants of Mexico City.

Material and methods

A secondary analysis with the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in residents of Mexico City as well as 25 municipalities in the interior of the Republic was carried out. Environmental levels of PM 2.5 were between 2018 and 2021. Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were performed.

Results

A total of 1,083,175 cases of COVID-19 were included, with 57,384 deaths (5.3%), of which 30,561 were in residents with exposure to more than 20 μg/m 3 of PM 2.5 (OR 1.27, CI95%: 1.25 to 1.29). When performing the multivariate analysis, an OR of 1.39 (CI95%: 1.36 to 1.43) was observed.

Conclusions

Chronic exposure to elevated levels of PM 2.5 is associated with increased death risk from COVID-19.

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  1. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2022.05.08.22274818: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    EthicsIRB: The present study was evaluated and approved by the Local Research Committee of the High Specialty Medical Unit “Luis Castelazo Ayala” of the Mexican Social Security Institute under number R-2021-3606-011.
    Sex as a biological variablenot detected.
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    Software and Algorithms
    SentencesResources
    RStudio statistical software version 4.1.0 © 2009-2021 was used.
    RStudio
    suggested: (RStudio, RRID:SCR_000432)

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: We detected the following sentences addressing limitations in the study:
    The pandemic is not over, so our results have a limitation inherent in its final course, as well as other variables that may affect mortality by COVID-19 and that were not included in the study, such as the socioeconomic stratum, population mobility, vaccination coverage, the effect of seasons and the temperature. Another limitation of the study was the measurement of pollutants levels, since not all are consistent and homogeneous in the different monitoring stations, so four Mexico City Mayors could not be included (Iztacalco, Magdalena Contreras, Milpa Alta and Tlahuac). For the same reason, it was not possible to explore other pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitric oxide or sulphur dioxide. However, the measurements of PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and O3 that were included in the study, filled the national Air Quality Standards established in the “Official Mexican Environmental Health Standard. Permissible limit values for the concentration of suspended particles PM10 and PM2.5 in air and criteria for their assessment”. 15 Therefore, more studies will be needed to help differentiate the role of confounders and environmental pollutants as risk factors in COVID-19 mortality.

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    Results from scite Reference Check: We found no unreliable references.

    About SciScore

    SciScore is an automated tool that is designed to assist expert reviewers by finding and presenting formulaic information scattered throughout a paper in a standard, easy to digest format. SciScore checks for the presence and correctness of RRIDs (research resource identifiers), and for rigor criteria such as sex and investigator blinding. For details on the theoretical underpinning of rigor criteria and the tools shown here, including references cited, please follow this link.

  2. Version published to 10.1101/2022.05.08.22274818v1 on medRxiv