Variations in air pollution before, during and after the COVID-19 lockdown in Peruvian cities

The high concentrations of air pollutants in Peru remain a persistent problem, significantly impacting public health. Understanding the extent to which the COVID-19 lockdown affected these contaminants is crucial. To determine variations in NO₂, O₃, CO, and SO₂ concentrations in 10 Peruvian cities before, during, and after lockdown. A comparative ecological study was conducted in urban areas of 10 major Peruvian cities using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Data on atmospheric pollutant concentrations were extracted from the Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI satellite images for the period between March 16 and June 30, across the years 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, for comparative analysis. The Wilcoxon test was used to evaluate changes between the study periods. We included 10 urban cities located across three geographic regions of Peru. Most urban cities experienced a decrease in NO₂ concentrations and an increase in O₃ and CO levels during the lockdown, while SO₂ concentrations remained relatively constant. The lockdown has caused variations in NO₂, O₃ and CO concentrations. Future studies with accurate data on air pollutant concentrations are needed to ensure targeted and effective interventions.