Cluster Member Dr. Christopher Carlsten, Professor of Medicine and Canada Research Chair in Occupational and Environmental Lung Disease at UBC, is interested in how air pollution can increase the severity of COVID-19 symtpoms.
In an interview with UBC, the Globe and Mail, and the Vancouver Sun, Dr. Carlsten describes how the gases and particles in polluted air damage the natural defense systems that fight respiratory viruses, such as COVID-19. Pollution weakens the protective cells and fluid lining our airways and lungs and the specialized proteins that fight against invading organisms. While it is too early to know whether air pollution has had a similar impact during the current COVID-19 outbreak, both Wuhan and northern Italy are areas with relatively poor air quality. Given the current circumstances, it is therefore more important than ever to ensure that our air is kept as clean as possible.