环境温湿度对新型冠状病毒传播影响研究的现状及展望

新型冠状病毒感染所导致的疾病已造成全球大流行,是当前全球重大公共卫生问题.目前,疫情的重灾区主要集中在北半球,南半球开始有明显的增加趋势.随着北半球夏季的来临,环境温湿度变化对病毒传播的影响逐渐受到广泛关注.已有若干研究从不同角度出发,探究环境温湿度与新型冠状病毒传播的关系.本文通过总结相关主要研究,总结目前研究的进展及有待完善之处,为今后相关工作的深入开展提供建议.     

Aerosol transmission,an indispensable route of COVID-19 spread: case study of a department-store cluster

• Aerosol transmission is an indispensable route of COVID-19 spread. • Different outbreak sites have different epidemiologic feature. • SRAS-CoV-2 can exist for a long time in aerosol. • SRAS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in aerosol in diverse places. • Some environmental factors can impact SARS-CoV-2 transportation in aerosol. Patients with COVID-19 have revealed a massive outbreak around the world, leading to widespread concerns in global scope. Figuring out the transmission route of COVID-19 is necessary to control further spread. We analyzed the data of 43 patients in Baodi Department Store (China) to supplement the transmission route and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in a cluster outbreak. Incubation median was estimated to endure 5.95 days (2–13 days). Almost 76.3% of patients sought medical attention immediately upon illness onset. The median period of illness onset to hospitalization and confirmation were 3.96 days (0–14) and 5.58 days (1–21), respectively. Patients with different cluster case could demonstrate unique epidemiological characteristics due to the particularity of outbreak sites. SRAS-CoV-2 can be released into the surrounding air through patient’s respiratory tract activities, and can exist for a long time for long-distance transportation. SRAS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in aerosol in different sites, including isolation ward, general ward, outdoor, toilet, hallway, and crowded public area. Environmental factors influencing were analyzed and indicated that the SARS-CoV-2 transportation in aerosol was dependent on temperature, air humidity, ventilation rate and inactivating chemicals (ozone) content. As for the infection route of case numbers 2 to 6, 10, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20 and 23, we believe that aerosol transmission played a significant role in analyzing their exposure history and environmental conditions in Baodi Department Store. Aerosol transmission could occur in some cluster cases when the environmental factors are suitable, and it is an indispensable route of COVID-19 spread.     

Electronic waste pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic

Environmental Chemistry Letters -     

The relative importance of COVID-19 pandemic impacts on biodiversity conservation globally

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on almost all aspects of human society and endeavor; the natural world and its conservation have not been spared. Through a process of expert consultation, we identified and categorized, into 19 themes and 70 subthemes, the ways in which biodiversity and its conservation have been or could be affected by the pandemic globally. Nearly 60% of the effects have been broadly negative. Subsequently, we created a compendium of all themes and subthemes, each with explanatory text, and in August 2020 a diverse group of experienced conservationists with expertise from across sectors and geographies assessed each subtheme for its likely impact on biodiversity conservation globally. The 9 subthemes ranked highest all have a negative impact. These were, in rank order, governments sidelining the environment during their economic recovery, reduced wildlife-based tourism income, increased habitat destruction, reduced government funding, increased plastic and other solid waste pollution, weakening of nature-friendly regulations and their enforcement, increased illegal harvest of wild animals, reduced philanthropy, and threats to survival of conservation organizations. In combination, these impacts present a worrying future of increased threats to biodiversity conservation but reduced capacity to counter them. The highest ranking positive impact, at 10, was the beneficial impact of wildlife-trade restrictions. More optimistically, among impacts ranked 11-20, 6 were positive and 4 were negative. We hope our assessment will draw attention to the impacts of the pandemic and, thus, improve the conservation community's ability to respond to such threats in the future.     

Repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic on solid waste generation and management strategies

• Implication of COVID-19 on medical waste and MSW generation is studied. • Challenges and effective strategy of solid waste generation is reviewed. • 2.9 million tons of COVID-19 related medical waste has been generated until Sep. 22. • The pandemic has postponed policies related to the reduction of plastic use. • Blockade resulted in a significant drop in waste generation in some regions. It has been over ten months since the beginning of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-2019), and its impact on solid waste management, especially medical waste, is becoming clearer. This study systematically reviews the potential influences of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical waste, personal protection equipment waste and municipal solid waste (MSW), and discusses the corresponding measures and policies of solid waste management in typical countries. The results show that the generation of medical waste from the pandemic increased significantly, with 18%‒425% growth. It is estimated that the daily output of COVID-19 medical waste increased from 200 t/d on Feb. 22 to over 29000 t/d at the end of September 2020 throughout the world. The use of personal protective equipment will continue to grow in the long-term, while the blockade and isolation measures greatly reduced the volume of commercial waste, especially for tourist cities, and part of this waste was transferred to household waste. Residents’ attitudes and behavior toward food waste have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the pandemic, international organizations and several countries have issued new policies and guidelines and adjusted their management strategies for medical waste and MSW treatment. The pandemic has brought specific challenges to the disposal capacity of medical waste worldwide. It has also brought about the stagnation of policies related to the reduction of plastic products and waste recycling. This study will provide some useful information for managers and governmental officials on effective solid waste management during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Three lessons conservation science can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic

Article impact statement: COVID-19 has demonstrated the need to optimize research activity, convey the gravity of loss, and reevaluate merit in conservation science.     

COVID-19 drugs in aquatic systems: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The outbreak of the human coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has induced an unprecedented increase in the use of several old and repurposed therapeutic...     

邯郸市新冠疫情前后空气质量指数(AQI)对比与疫情防控期间大气污染特征分析

2020年初COVID-19疫情爆发,我国采取一系列管控措施使大气污染物排放量明显降低.为了解疫情期间减排活动下邯郸市大气污染特征,采用统计学变量分析方法与特征雷达图对疫情爆发前(12月、1月)、疫情防控期间(2-4月)、疫情防控后(5月、6月)以及2019年同期大气污染情况进行对比分析.并进一步估算防控期间大气污染物...     

Impact of waste of COVID-19 protective equipment on the environment,animals and human health: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - During the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, protective equipment, such as masks, gloves and shields, has become mandatory to prevent person-to-person...     

Forest-bathing and physical activity as weapons against COVID-19: a review

Strengthening the immune system in order to better withstand the threat of COVID-19 is an important way to ensure the protection of our health against the current pandemic associated with SARS-CoV-2. There are many ways to achieve this, but with current circumstances, certain modalities stand out as being the most valid and are certainly worth greater consideration. Here we review the effects that particular immuno-strengthening activities can have on limiting the severity of COVID-19 disease as well as preventing virus infection. Physical activity, in particular, should not be discounted as an important method of prevention of viral diseases as it triggers many biological processes within the human body which in turn lead to heightened natural defences against viral infections. When exercise is performed in forested areas, these protective health benefits may be increased since many plant species emit biogenic volatile compounds (VOCs) which, when inhaled, have many protective properties. These VOCs have been shown in particular to have immunostimulatory effects on the human body and, thus, they could be of use in the prevention and/or treatment of COVID-19. Being amongst trees may also help to alleviate stress and anxiety, lowering cortisol levels and consequently helping the proper functioning of the immune system. In the following work, we have performed an analysis of the available scientific literature which looks at the effects of physical exercise as well as ‘forest-bathing’ on the immune system’s ability to fight disease, especially of course as it relates to COVID-19. Our review aims at shedding light on the benefits of exercising outdoors in green areas and suggests reforestation as a protective measure against future outbreaks.

     

The effectiveness of travel restriction measures in alleviating the COVID-19 epidemic: evidence from Shenzhen,China

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - With the expansion of the global novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, unprecedented interventions have been widely implemented in many countries,...     

Effects of heavy rainfall on the composition of airborne bacterial communities

Wet deposition scavenges particles and particle-associated bacteria from the air column, but the impact of raindrops on various surfaces on Earth causes emission of surface-associated bacteria into the air column. Thus, after rainfall, these two mechanisms are expected to cause changes in airborne bacterial community composition (BCC). In this study, aerosol samples were collected at a suburban site in Seoul, Korea before and after three heavy rainfall events in April, May, and July 2011. BCC was investigated by pyrosequencing the 16S rRNA gene in aerosol samples. Interestingly, the relative abundance of non-spore forming Actinobacteria operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was always higher in post-rain aerosol samples. In particular, the absolute and relative abundances of airborne Propionibacteriaceae always increased after rainfall, whereas those of airborne Firmicutes, including Carnobacteriaceae and Clostridiales, consistently decreased. Marine bacterial sequences, which were temporally important in aerosol samples, also decreased after rainfall events. Further, increases in pathogen-like sequences were often observed in post-rain air samples. Rainfall events seemed to affect airborne BCCs by the combined action of the two mechanisms, with potentially adverse effects on human and plant health.

Open image in new window

     

Airborne black carbon variations during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Yangtze River Delta megacities suggest actions to curb global warming

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Airborne black carbon is a strong warming component of the atmosphere. Therefore, curbing black carbon emissions should slow down global warming. The 2019...     

The three-dimensional structure of airborne bird flocks

Summary The three-dimensional structure of flocks of dunlin, Calidris alpina, and starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, was studied while birds were in transit between feeding, loafing and roosting sites. A technique was developed that uses standard photogrammetric methods to determine the three-coordinate position of birds in flocks from stereoscopic pairs of simultaneously exposed photographs. A comparison of nearest neighbour distances indicates that dunlin have a tighter, more compact flock structure than do starlings (Fig. 2; Table 2). Analysis of interbird angles in both the vertical and horizontal planes indicates that each dunlin's nearest neighbour is most likely to be behind and below it. This spatial structure results in areas in which few nearest neighbours occur (e.g., immediately in front and below) (Fig. 3). Flight speeds during transit flights are also presented (Table 4). The spatial structure and behaviour of dunlin and starling flocks appear to be very similar to the structure and behaviour of schools of fish.     

Spatially mixed crops to control the stratified dispersal of airborne fungal diseases

Intraspecific crop diversification is thought to be a possible solution to the disease susceptibility of monocultured crops. We modelled the stratified dispersal of an airborne pathogen population in order to identify the spatial patterns of cultivar mixtures that could slow epidemic spread driven by dual dispersal mechanisms acting over both short and long distances. We developed a model to simulate the propagation of a fungal disease in a 2D field, including a reaction-diffusion model for short-distance disease dispersal, and a stochastic model for long-distance dispersal. The model was fitted to data for the spatio-temporal spread of faba bean rust (caused by Uromyces viciae-fabae) through a discontinuous field. The model was used to compare the effectiveness of eight different planting patterns of cultivar mixtures against a disease spread by short-distance and stratified dispersal. Our combined modelling approach provides a reasonably good fit with the observed data for the spread of faba bean rust. Similar predictive power could be expected for the management of resource-mediated invasions by other airborne fungi. If a disease spreads by short-distance dispersal, random mixtures can be used to slow the epidemic spread, since their spatial irregularity creates a natural barrier to the progression of a smooth epidemic wave. In the context of stratified dispersal, heterogeneous patterns should be used that include a minimum distance between susceptible units, which decreases the probability of infection by long-distance spore dispersal. We provide a simple framework for modelling the stratified dispersal of disease in a diversified crop. The model suggests that the spatial arrangement of components in cultivar mixtures has to accord with the dispersal characteristics of the pathogen in order to increase the efficiency of diversification strategies in agro-ecosystems and forestry. It can be applied in low input agriculture to manage pathogen invasion by intercropping and cultivar mixtures, and to design sustainable systems of land use.     

Differential effects of temperature variability on the transmission of a marine parasite

Temperature variability is particularly pronounced in intertidal systems. The importance of considering this variability has been increasingly recognised, especially in the context of climate change and disease dynamics. Here, we investigated the effects of temperature variability on the transmission of the intertidal trematode Maritrema novaezealandensis. The experimental treatments were 15 °C (control), 15 + 5 °C daily, 15 + 10 °C every second day, 15 + 15 °C every third day (overall equal thermal loading), and a heat wave treatment (15 + 10 °C daily). Daily 6 h incubations were carried out corresponding to daytime low tides over a 12-day period. Effects on output of transmission stages (cercariae) from infected Zeacumantus subcarinatus snail hosts and transmission success of cercariae to Paracalliope novizealandiae amphipod hosts were quantified, as well as the survival of amphipods. Results showed differential effects on output and transmission success. The number of cercariae emerging was similar for treatments with equal thermal loading, but was substantially increased in the heat wave treatment. Transmission success was highest and comparable for the treatments with regular daily temperature increases (i.e. 15 + 5 °C and heat wave), compared to other treatments. Amphipod survival was not affected by temperature treatment directly, but by the number of parasites infecting an amphipod, as well as amphipod sex. These results demonstrate that cercarial output depends mostly on total thermal loading, whereas successful infection of amphipods is determined by total time above 15 °C. Repeated exposure to ~25 °C, as expected under a heat wave scenario, therefore increases both transmission pressure and success, and hence, the risk of parasite-induced mortality in amphipods.     

园林植物滞留不同粒径大气颗粒物的特征及规律

为研究常用园林植物滞留大气颗粒物的能力,本文以北京市常用园林植物为例,应用直接采样、电镜分析和统计分析的方法,对选定园林植物滞留不同粒径大气颗粒物的特征及规律进行了系统分析。结果表明：（1）园林植物滞留的颗粒物形状为不规则块体、球体和聚合体,通过对比分析得出,滞留大气颗粒物能力由高到低的微形态结构依次是蜡质结构〉绒毛〉沟槽〉条状突起,并且这些微形态结构越密集、深浅差别越大,越有利于滞留大气颗粒物。（2）以园林植物叶片滞留颗粒物的数量进行统计时,得出园林植物叶片表面大部分为PM10（Dp≤10μm）,均在98%以上,而PM2.5（Dp≤2.5μm）均在90%以上,粗颗粒物（Dp〉10μm）的数量对总体数量的贡献非常小,均在2%以下;以体积进行统计时,得出PM10的体积在总体积中的比例在50%以上,对颗粒物总体积贡献最大,滞留的PM2.5体积占总体积8.5%-17.6%,粗颗粒物（Dp〉10μm）体积占总体积20%以上。（3）对园林植物滞留颗粒物累积规律分析得出：在相同观测叶面积下,园林植物滞尘10 d的叶表面颗粒物数量较滞尘5 d的叶表面颗粒物数量均有所增加,增幅最大的是小叶黄杨（Buxus microphylla）,增幅最小的是月季（Rosa chinensis）,通过方差分析得出绦柳（Salix matsudana f.pendula）叶表面颗粒物数量显著低于除银杏（Ginkgo biloba）之外的其它7种树种,大叶黄杨（Euonymus japonicus）、小叶黄杨和国槐（ Sophora japonica）叶表面滞留颗粒物的数量较多,并且显著高于月季、银杏和绦柳叶表面滞留的颗粒物数量;滞尘10 d后园林植物叶表面滞留的颗粒物的总面积均未超过观测叶面积的25%,至于叶片持续滞留颗粒物多少天后达到饱和状态仍需进一步研究。     

Less COVID-19 deaths in southern and insular Italy explained by forest bathing,Mediterranean environment,and antiviral plant volatile organic compounds

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is causing major sanitary and socioeconomic issues, yet some locations are less impacted than others. While densely populated areas are likely to favor viral transmission, we hypothesize that other environmental factors could explain lower cases in some areas. We studied COVID-19 impact and population statistics in highly forested Mediterranean Italian regions versus some northern regions where the amount of trees per capita is much lower. We also evaluated the affinity of Mediterranean plant-emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) isoprene, α-pinene, linalool and limonene for COVID-19 protein targets by molecular docking modeling. Results show that while mean death number increased about 4 times from 2020 to 2021, the percentage of deaths per population (0.06–0.10%) was lower in the greener Mediterranean regions such as Sardinia, Calabria and Basilica versus northern regions with low forest coverage, such as Lombardy (0.33%) and Emilia Romagna (0.29%). Data also show that the pandemic severity cannot be explained solely by population density. Modeling reveals that plant organic compounds could bind and interfere with the complex formed by the receptor binding domain of the coronavirus spike protein with the human cell receptor. Overall, our findings are likely explained by sea proximity and mild climate, Mediterranean diet and the abundance of non-deciduous Mediterranean plants which emit immunomodulatory and antiviral compounds. Potential implications include ‘forest bathing’ as a therapeutic practice, designing nasal sprays containing plant volatile organic compounds, and preserving and increasing forest coverage.

     

Improved characterisation of inorganic components in airborne particulate matter

We set up a microanalytical procedure for non-volatile ions by ion chromatography (IC) and for elements by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). We analysed NO₃, SO₄, NH₄, Na, Mg, Ca, Fe, S, Zn, As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Ti, and V. The use of complementary techniques yields reliable data for both trace and crustal elements, overcoming the analytical restrictions characteristic of the individual techniques. Some elements determined by two or by all three techniques can be used as data quality markers. The application of the procedure to a short PM_2.5 monitoring campaign is also described, aimed to the identification of fireworks tracers.     

Characterization of airborne particulate matter in thessaloniki,Greece

TSP samples, collected at two stations in the area of Thessaloniki during the period July 1987‐June 1988, were analysed for heavy metals (Fe, Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cr, Co, Ni and V). Flame and flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used for metal determinations. Metals determined were characterized with respect to their origin from natural or man‐made emission sources. Source identification was attempted by relation of metal concentrations to wind direction, and interelement correlations.

Results obtained showed that Pb, Zn and Cu are emitted from man‐made sources (traffic, domestic heating, industry), V, Ni and Co are derived partially from natural and man‐made sources, while Cr is mainly soil‐derived.