Go slow to go fast: a plea for sustained scientific rigour in air pollution research during the COVID-19 pandemic
Dick Heederik, Lidwien A.M. Smit, Roel Vermeulen
Abstract
Researchers in the air pollution field are well aware that indoor and outdoor air pollution is associated with multiple disorders, including an increase in respiratory infection-related morbidity and mortality [1, 2]. Investigating associations linking air pollution and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread and prognosis of respiratory disease in COVID-19 patients is therefore timely, relevant and plausible. Over a 10-day period, three papers involving original research associating COVID-19 mortality and air pollution were published [3–5]. These publications attracted considerable attention from international news outlets and on social media [6, 7]. Present studies on the role of air pollution and COVID-19 spread, and the prognosis in patients, do not fulfil quality criteria and are not sufficiently informative <https://bit.ly/3hGjd73> We thank Calvin Ge for proof reading and editing the editorial and Marc Chadeau-Hyam for his critical and constructive comments.