Assessing the effects of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on air quality in the city of Talca, Chile

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the implementation of several quarantines in Chile, which meant a decrease in transportation flow and lower production levels in some companies.It also led to more people using wood burning at home for heating.This study aimed to determine the effect of the pandemic on air quality in Chile.The methodology consists of a regression analysis using ordinary least squares, where the effects of temperature, quarantine, and pandemic periods on daily emissions of PM2.5, PM10, CO2, and O3 were analyzed.The results show that for the dependent variables PM10, CO2, and O3, the variables minimum, average temperature, and pandemic were significant and inversely related to said pollutants.For PM2.5, the above is not true for the case of the pandemic, which positively affects PM2.5.The variable quarantine was not significant in all models.Finally, it was concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a change in air quality in the city of Talca, mainly due to the greater use of wood burning for heating; there was a high impact of the pandemic on these emissions, producing an increase in critical episodes of MP2.5 and MP10.Also, impacts were observed in O3 and CO2.