When we breath, speak, sneeze or cough, we emit tiny aerosol particles of mucus and saliva containing viruses. These aerosol particles can lose much of their water and absorb acidic compounds from the surrounding air, which - depending on the type of virus - can rapidly reduce their infectivity. Illustration: Ramona Klein. (Illustration: Ramona Klein)
When we breath, speak, sneeze or cough, we emit tiny aerosol particles of mucus and saliva containing viruses. These aerosol particles can lose much of their water and absorb acidic compounds from the surrounding air, which - depending on the type of virus - can rapidly reduce their infectivity. Illustration: Ramona Klein. (Illustration: Ramona Klein) - A new study by various Swiss universities shows that aerosols in indoor air can vary in acidity. This acidity determines how long viruses remain infectious in the air - with profound implications for virus transmission and strategies to contain it. Viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus and others travel from person to person essentially by hitchhiking on aerosols. These are finely dispersed particles containing liquid suspended in the air that an infected person expels when coughing, sneezing, or simply exhaling, and can be inhaled by someone else.
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