Abstract Recent evidence suggests that respiratory aerosols may play a role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that simulated sunlight inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in aerosols and on surfaces. In the present study, we extend these findings to include the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosols across a range of temperature, humidity, and simulated sunlight levels using an environmentally controlled rotating drum aerosol chamber. The results demonstrate that temperature, simulated sunlight, and humidity are all significant factors influencing the persistence of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in aerosols, but that simulated sunlight and temperature have a greater influence on decay than humidity across the range of conditions tested. The time needed for a 90% decrease in infectious virus ranged from 4.8 min at 40 °C, 20% relative humidity, and high intensity simulated sunlight representative of noon on a clear day on the summer solstice at 40°N latitude, to greater than two hours under conditions representative of those expected indoors or at night. These results suggest that the persistence of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in naturally occurring aerosols may be affected by environmental conditions, and that aerosolized virus could remain infectious for extended periods of time under some environmental conditions. The present study provides a comprehensive dataset on the influence of environmental parameters on the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosols that can be utilized, along with data on viral shedding from infected individuals and the inhalational infectious dose, to inform future modeling and risk assessment efforts. Copyright © 2020 American Association for Aerosol Research

中文翻译：

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温度、湿度和模拟阳光对气溶胶中 SARS-CoV-2 传染性的影响

摘要 最近的证据表明，在持续的 COVID-19 大流行期间，呼吸气溶胶可能在 SARS-CoV-2 的传播中发挥作用。我们的实验室先前已经证明，模拟阳光使气溶胶和表面上的 SARS-CoV-2 失活。在本研究中，我们将这些发现扩展到使用环境控制的转鼓气溶胶室，将 SARS-CoV-2 在一系列温度、湿度和模拟阳光水平的气溶胶中的持久性包括在内。结果表明，温度、模拟阳光和湿度都是影响气溶胶中传染性 SARS-CoV-2 持久性的重要因素，但在测试条件范围内，模拟阳光和温度对衰减的影响大于湿度。传染性病毒减少 90% 所需的时间范围从 40°C、20% 相对湿度和高强度模拟阳光下的 4.8 分钟（代表北纬 40°N 夏至晴天中午）到大于在代表室内或夜间预期的条件下两小时。这些结果表明，传染性 SARS-CoV-2 在自然发生的气溶胶中的持续存在可能受到环境条件的影响，并且气溶胶病毒在某些环境条件下可以长时间保持传染性。本研究提供了一个关于环境参数对可利用的气溶胶中 SARS-CoV-2 存活的影响的综合数据集，以及有关感染个体的病毒脱落和吸入感染剂量的数据，为未来的建模和风险评估工作提供信息。版权所有 © 2020 美国气溶胶研究协会