Thoracic Society recommends keeping masks on outdoors due to air pollution

Photo: AA/File

Click to read the article in Turkish

The vice chair of the Turkish Thoracic Society has recommended wearing masks outdoors, citing research on the relationship between coronavirus infection and air pollution.

Studies in China and European countries showed that both infection and death rates of the coronavirus are higher in regions with higher air pollution, Prof. Hasan Bayram told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Changes that air pollution causes in people's respiratory tract facilitates the settlement of the virus and leads to more severe disease in lungs, he noted.

Ten percent of the samples of particulate matter they collected from 13 locations in 10 cities contained the coronavirus, which showed "the virus can be found and transmitted on particulate matter," Bayram stressed.

"After us, there were similar findings in Italy. Air pollution may have a function to transmit the virus. Therefore, we shouldn't be relaxed because we are in the open air. Masks should be worn in open air, especially in crowded areas, as well." (RT/VK)