People who live in regions with high levels of pollution may be at a higher risk of becoming a victim of this Covid-19 symptom. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in the US claim that long-term exposure to PM2.5, a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air, could nearly double the risk of facing Covid-19-induced ‘loss of smell.’
Known as anosmia, the loss of smell makes it hard for people to taste foods, detect airborne hazards in the environment and carry out other daily activities.
Publishing in the journal 'JAMA Open,' the team said that smell loss is linked with pollution exposure possibly due to the location of the olfactory nerve. The nerve which helps us smell is also directly in the path of inhaled particulate matter.
It is worth mentioning that this isn’t the first time that perils of pollution exposure have been laid bare. Exposure to PM2.5 has been already linked to cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, a decline in cognitive thinking ability, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and premature death.