Experts say coronavirus can survive in dust for up to a month.
Researchers also discovered a new way for tracking COVID-19 outbreaks in areas including nursing homes, offices, and schools.
The term "dust," according to Express.co.uk, refers to the clumping of different particles in the atmosphere. It's usually made up of lethal skin cells, bacteria, fabric fibers, blood, and small pieces of plastic. However, it can contain viruses and pollution, increasing the risk of infection.
COVID-19 in Dust: How The Research Detected The Particles
Eurekalert said the research team collaborated with crews responsible for cleaning the Ohio State rooms where students who tested positive for COVID-19 were isolated. Two patients who were self-isolating in their homes were also sampled. After that, they were packed in vacuum bags.
The team discovered genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 97 percent of the bulk dust samples after analyzing the samples. The samples were also checked regularly, and the researchers discovered that the virus' RNA did not substantially degrade in the vacuum bags even after four weeks.
However, before taking the samples, the cleaning crews sprayed the rooms with a chlorine-based disinfectant. The virus' protective barrier, according to the experts, was lost as a result of this. The virus's envelope plays a critical part in its ability to reach to humans. That means the coronavirus would no longer spread to other people.
"We weren't sure that the genetic material would survive - there are many different organisms in dust, and we weren't sure we'd see any viral RNA at all," study author Nicole Renninger told Ohio State News.
Renninger, an engineering graduate student in Dannemiller's lab, said the team was surprised upon discovering that the actual RNA itself seems to be "lasting a pretty long time."
COVID-19 in Dust: How The Research Could Help Further Coronavirus Detection
Karen Dannemiller, the study's senior author, said that she wished to add information to help ease the crises' seriousness. Dannemiller works at The Ohio State University as an assistant professor of political, geological, and geodetic engineering and environmental health sciences.
"When the pandemic started, we really wanted to find a way that we could help contribute knowledge that might help mitigate this crisis," said the senior author. "And we've spent so much time studying dust and flooring that we knew how to test it."
Dannemiller's background in researching dust and its relationship to possible hazards (such as mold and microbes) led her and the other researchers to the conclusion that monitoring dust to check for COVID-19 outbreaks would be beneficial for high-risk populations.
The research team results will be particularly useful in the coming months, especially because people have started returning to communal spaces after getting vaccinated.
The research team uploaded their study results, titled "Indoor Dust as a Matrix for Surveillance of COVID-19," in the journal mSystems.
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