SHARE THIS December 21, 2020 Rockville, Md. – A new study finds that New York City’s two-month shutdown during COVID-19—while undeniably painful—could point the way toward saving thousands of lives through improved air quality, generating billions of dollars in related economic benefits in the process. Neighborhoods with higher percentages of low-income residents or higher percentages of Black or Latinx residents likely would benefit more from the reduced particulate matter concentrations. The study’s findings are published in the journal During the initial shutdown from March 15 to May 15, researchers from Columbia University, Abt Associates, and ZevRoss Spatial Analysis estimated a citywide 23 percent reduction in fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) concentrations. This was attributable to an estimated 60 percent decline in automobile traffic, as well as declines in air traffic, construction, restaurant operation and electricity generation. They then extrapolated ambient levels of PM2.5 during a five-year period. Using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the research team quantified the economic value of estimated avoided cases of air pollution-related illnesses and deaths.