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Volume 26, Number 9—September 2020
Research Letter

Effect of Environmental Conditions on SARS-CoV-2 Stability in Human Nasal Mucus and Sputum

M. Jeremiah Matson, Claude Kwe Yinda, Stephanie N. Seifert, Trenton Bushmaker, Robert J. Fischer, Neeltje van Doremalen, James O. Lloyd-Smith, and Vincent J. MunsterComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia, USA (M.J. Matson); Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA (M.J. Matson, C. Kwe Yinda, S.N. Seifert, T. Bushmaker, R.J. Fischer, N. van Doremalen, V.J. Munster); Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA (T. Bushmaker); University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA (J.O. Lloyd-Smith)

Main Article

Table

Half-life (t1/2) for SARS-CoV-2 in human nasal mucus and sputum under different environmental conditions*

Sample and exposure type Environment Half-life, h (95% CI)
Nasal mucus
Liquid 4°C 4.9 (3.5–8.7)
21°C 3.7 (3.1–4.7)
27°C 3.1 (2.3–4.4)
Surface
 4°C/40% RH 3.3 (2.6–4.4)
21°C/40% RH 3.1 (2.5–4.1)
27°C/85% RH
 1.5 (1.2–1.9)
Sputum
Liquid 4°C 7.0 (5.8–8.9)
21°C 1.9 (1.3–3.2)
27°C 1.3 (1.1–1.7)
Surface 4°C/40% RH 5.8 (4.8–7.3)
21°C/40% RH 3.1 (2.3–4.6)
27°C/85% RH 1.5 (1.1–2.4)

*RH, relative humidity; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Main Article

Page created: June 05, 2020
Page updated: August 20, 2020
Page reviewed: August 20, 2020
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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