2025 Volume 40 Issue 3 Pages 172-182
Aerosols containing viruses are complex systems as viruses themselves are characterized as “intermediate between living and nonliving organisms.” These viruses interact with host-derived substances associated with them and with the surrounding air conditions before infection. In such systems, viruses die over time, a process known in virological terms as irreversible “inactivation.” This process can be accelerated or decelerated depending on environmental conditions, and the inactivation process under such conditions varies by virus type. Among the studied viruses, influenza viruses have been the focus of significant research, and it has been established that ambient temperature and humidity play a significant role in this process. Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain the underlying mechanism, although a comprehensive theory has yet to be formulated. Both natural and artificially generated ozone and chlorine gases have the potential to inactivate airborne viruses at concentrations comparable to those found in daily life. Moreover, these gases inactivate viruses synergistically with temperature and humidity; elucidating the mechanism is a future challenge.
