Two mechanisms for accelerated diffusion of COVID-19 outbreaks in regions with high intensity of population and polluting industrialization: the air pollution-to-human and human-to-human transmission dynamics

Mario Coccia

The composition of ambient particulate matter (PM) varies both geographically and seasonally because of the mix of sources at any location across time and space. A vast literature shows short-term effects of air pollution on health, but air pollution affects morbidity also in the long run . The mechanism of damages of air pollution on health can be explained as follows. Air pollutants exert their own specific individual toxic effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems of people; in addition, ozone, oxides of nitrogen, and suspended particulates have a common property of being potent oxidants, either through direct effects on lipids and proteins 3 Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder in which the body's immune system attacks its joints, and is one of the most common autoimmune diseases (Cooper and Stroehla, 2003) . Moreover, rheumatoid arthritis is a major cause of disability that reduces patient's lifespan by 15-20% from the onset of the illness (Myllykangas-Luosujäarvi et al., 1995; cf., Chang et al., 2016; De Roos et al., 2014; Farhat et al., 2011; Jung et al., 2017) .