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At a Glance Preliminary results find evidence of the novel coronavirus on air pollution over Bergamo, Italy.

Bergamo is one of Italy's most polluted provinces.

Scientists agree more study is needed. Italian researchers say they have found evidence of the novel coronavirus on tiny particles of air pollution.

The work is preliminary, and it appears on a site that preprints studies before they have been peer reviewed.

Air samples were collected at two sites in Bergamo province in northern Italy's Lombardy region, the area of the country hit hardest by the pandemic. Testing found a gene highly specific to COVID-19 in multiple samples from the province, one of the most polluted in Italy.

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An independent laboratory confirmed the gene detection by blind testing, The Guardian reported.

Separate research groups have suggested pollution particles may carry the coronavirus particles farther.

The work was led by Leonardo Setti, an industrial chemist at the University of Bologna. He said it's important now to investigate whether the coronavirus can be carried more widely by air pollution.

“I am a scientist and I am worried when I don’t know,” he told The Guardian. “If we know, we can find a solution. But if we don’t know, we can only suffer the consequences.”

Jonathan Reid, a Bristol University professor researching airborne transmission of coronavirus, told The Guardian, “It is perhaps not surprising that while suspended in air, the small droplets could combine with background urban particles and be carried around.”

Earlier studies have found that people exposed to higher levels of air pollution were more likely to die from COVID-19 .

For the latest coronavirus information in your county and a full list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions regarding the disease, check out our dedicated COVID-19 page.

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