Abstract

DISINFECTION OF VIRUS IN ROOM AIR

Norio Ogata* and Takashi Shibata

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Abstract

Pandemics of viral respiratory diseases are primarily, if not solely, spread via virus-containing aerosols expelled from the mouths of infected people. Due to this mechanism, infectious diseases are frequently spread in a crowded room. To prevent the spread of viral respiratory diseases, it is mandatory to disinfect virus-containing aerosols in room air. To evaluate the evidence for the disinfection of viruses in the air of enclosed areas, we searched for literature for studies published between 1957 and 2021 using PubMed and Google Scholar. We focused on literature that described practical and possible methods to disinfect viruses floating in room air. Our literature search showed that disinfection using ozone (O3) and chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gases are the only practical methods to disinfect virus-containing aerosols in room air. However, ozone requires relatively high concentrations for this purpose, which might be toxic to humans present in the room. On the other hand, chlorine dioxide gas can be used in rooms where people are present. Chlorine dioxide gas is the only practical and currently available disinfection agent that can disinfect viruses in room air to prevent viral respiratory diseases.

Keywords: Chlorine dioxide, Gas, Aerosol, Respiratory infection, SARS-CoV-2.