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Corona virus-containing particles that land on a surface are contagious for several days, causing the water in the droplet to evaporate into a microscopic, pancake-like film.
This change causes more than 99.9 percent of the droplet fluid to disappear within minutes, but the virus survives on the protective film of the remaining fluid.
Small forces slow down the evaporation process by sticking a nanometer-thick film onto a surface.
The film evaporates completely at different times depending on the material on which it lands, with a strong fall on steel and copper lasting respectively 24 and 16 hours.
But it can survive for more than 150 hours in polypropylene. A small drop, one tenth, on the glass will last more than 80 hours.
These figures are based on experiments conducted under laboratory conditions and in the real world the different degrees of heat and air flow are low factors that increase evaporation.
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The image (bottom) covers areas of the same size as the drop (top), with the same radius and vertical starting angle. The only measure of dynamics is its vertical height
Rajneesh Bhardwaj and Amit Agarwal, professors of IIT Bombay, specialize in using computer modeling and physics to understand how corona virus droplets spread disease.
They have previously found that wearing a mask reduces the amount of corona virus particle clouds produced by coughing by up to 23 times.
The particles containing the corona virus from sneezing and coughing are contagious for hours because the water in the droplet evaporates and turns from a sphere into a microscopic cake-like film (broth).
In the form of a film, corona virus can withstand many hours and even days if left unchecked on hydrophobic surfaces.
The image covers areas of the same size as the drop, with the same opening and vertical starting angle. The only conversion measure is its vertical height.
Data from the study, published in Physics of fluids, The thickness of the film decreases slowly and for all this time the amount of corona virus in the drop / film remains constant.
“Our biggest surprise is that the drying time of this nanoscale film is on the order of hours,” said Bhardwaj.
‘This suggests that the surface is not completely dry and that the slowly evaporating nanoscale film provides the means necessary for corona virus survival.’
The researchers’ findings indicate that the virus could survive in a viable form for a long time and highlighted the need for regular and thorough cleaning of surfaces.
“It is desirable to disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs or portable devices, and inside hospitals and other areas where explosions can occur,” Agarwal said.
“We also recommend heating the surfaces because even short-term high temperatures can evaporate the nanoscale film and destroy the virus as the surface is at a higher temperature than ambient.”
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