Recent research conducted by the Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine in the Royal College of Surgeons, found that the number of emergency hospitalisations of people with lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties, significantly declined during the Covid-19 lockdown in Ireland partly due to less exposure to air pollution. The researchers highlighted a fall in hospitalisations for lung conditions such as bronchitis and emphysema as well. The team said that they looked at the corresponding data from the period in 2010-2019 to find that reduced transmission of respiratory infections, less exposure to air pollution and improved self-management of disease could have contributed to the reduced rate.