Abstract
The detection of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor environments is a cause of increasing concern. In this study, three sampling methodologies have been used in order to collect SARS-CoV-2 and 17 other respiratory viruses in indoor air, combined with a new analytical process to analyze respiratory viruses. Different areas of an ophthalmological hospital were investigated for the presence of these airborne viruses. Moreover, indoor air quality (IAQ) parameters (carbon dioxide, CO2; carbon monoxide, CO; nitrogen dioxide, NO2; volatile organic compounds, VOCs; formaldehyde, HCHO; and particulate matter, PM) have been examined to study the relationship between IAQ and airborne viruses. All indoor air and surface samples assessed were found to be negative for SARS-CoV-2. Nevertheless, another airborne respiratory virus (HRV/ENV) was detected, illustrating that the methodology set out here is a suitable one. Regarding the results for the IAQ, chemical parameters studied in the hall and waiting room of the hospital presented acceptable values. However, in the doctor′s consultation room VOCs and HCHO show some instantaneous levels higher than the recommended guide values. The methodological approach described in this paper, integrating conventional IAQ and the assessment of bioaerosols, can be used in research and control programs aimed at promoting a healthy indoor environment.
Highlights
COVID-19 disease has rapidly spread throughout the world since it was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan (China)
Before the sampling collection took place at the hospital, three different sampling methods for airborne viruses were tested in our laboratory facilities
Most recent papers have preferred to use the Biosampler as a device for air sampling viruses like SARS or influenza [8,25]. This method bubbles the air through a liquid using an impinger [14]
Summary
COVID-19 disease has rapidly spread throughout the world since it was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan (China). In indoor environments, SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted through aerosols at a distance of more than two meters between people, given that they remain in the air and accumulate if the area is not properly ventilated [6]. Van Doremalen et al (2020) [4] pointed out that the coronavirus can be airborne for 3 h, while other recent studies have detected concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in the indoor air of hospitals [7,8,9,10]
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