'COVAIR': Is SARS-CoV-2 airborne and does it interact with particle pollutants?
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: National Heart and Lung Institute
Abstract
Aerosol dispersion and environmental spread of SARS-CoV2 virus apart from direct inhalation of
large droplets from a cough or exhaled breath of an infected person remains a high possibility.
SARS-CoV2 virus has been collected from the air of hospitals with COVID-19 patients and the
presence of the virus on particulate matter has been reported in Northern Italy. We wish to
develop diagnostic tools and predictive sensing to detect SARS-CoV2 in crowded urban
environments in order to address whether the airborne amounts are high enough to cause a
respiratory infection and whether pollution particles can carry live virus that is directly inhaled into
the lungs. We will determine whether SARS-CoV2 can be detected as active virus in the air of
hospitals with COVID-19 patients, and if so, use a similar technique to measure the virus in
crowded spaces such as in underground train platforms, central station concourse, shopping malls
and busy roadside. We will use and validate different methods of collecting particles from
experience obtained from our EPSRC-funded INHALE project. Particles will be collected onto filters,
and virus and virus-particulate interactions determined by RT-PCR (RNA-based), culturing on Vero
E6 cells and airway epithelial cells, and using state-of-the -art electron microscopy. We will model
this mode of transmission into the lungs by studying airflows and pollutant levels, and as a
measure of this infection in the population. This method can be potentially considered as a
surveillance assay of crowded public areas for SARS-CoV2 with ~ 2,000 new infections currently
reported daily.
large droplets from a cough or exhaled breath of an infected person remains a high possibility.
SARS-CoV2 virus has been collected from the air of hospitals with COVID-19 patients and the
presence of the virus on particulate matter has been reported in Northern Italy. We wish to
develop diagnostic tools and predictive sensing to detect SARS-CoV2 in crowded urban
environments in order to address whether the airborne amounts are high enough to cause a
respiratory infection and whether pollution particles can carry live virus that is directly inhaled into
the lungs. We will determine whether SARS-CoV2 can be detected as active virus in the air of
hospitals with COVID-19 patients, and if so, use a similar technique to measure the virus in
crowded spaces such as in underground train platforms, central station concourse, shopping malls
and busy roadside. We will use and validate different methods of collecting particles from
experience obtained from our EPSRC-funded INHALE project. Particles will be collected onto filters,
and virus and virus-particulate interactions determined by RT-PCR (RNA-based), culturing on Vero
E6 cells and airway epithelial cells, and using state-of-the -art electron microscopy. We will model
this mode of transmission into the lungs by studying airflows and pollutant levels, and as a
measure of this infection in the population. This method can be potentially considered as a
surveillance assay of crowded public areas for SARS-CoV2 with ~ 2,000 new infections currently
reported daily.
Organisations
Publications
Abubakar-Waziri H
(2023)
SARS-CoV2 in public spaces in West London, UK during COVID-19 pandemic.
in BMJ open respiratory research
Badi YE
(2023)
IL1RAP expression and the enrichment of IL-33 activation signatures in severe neutrophilic asthma.
in Allergy
Chung KF
(2021)
Editorial: Ozone as a Driver of Lung Inflammation and Innate Immunity and as a Model for Lung Disease.
in Frontiers in immunology
Kian Fan Chung
(2022)
SARS-CoV2 and air pollution interactions: airborne transmission and COVID-19 (accepted)
in Molecular Frontiers
Kumar P
(2021)
An overview of methods of fine and ultrafine particle collection for physicochemical characterisation and toxicity assessments.
in The Science of the total environment
Kumar P
(2023)
Micro-characteristics of a naturally ventilated classroom air quality under varying air purifier placements
in Environmental Research
Kumar P
(2021)
The nexus between in-car aerosol concentrations, ventilation and the risk of respiratory infection.
in Environment international
M Adcock I
(2021)
MicroRNAs in Human Disease: Commentary.
in Iranian journal of allergy, asthma, and immunology
Mortaz E
(2021)
Increased Serum Levels of Soluble TNF-a Receptor Is Associated With ICU Mortality in COVID-19 Patients.
in Frontiers in immunology
Nomani M
(2021)
Decreased neutrophil-mediated bacterial killing in COVID-19 patients
in Scandinavian Journal of Immunology
Quilodrán-Casas C
(2022)
Digital twins based on bidirectional LSTM and GAN for modelling the COVID-19 pandemic.
in Neurocomputing
Sharma A
(2022)
Efficacy of facemasks in mitigating respiratory exposure to submicron aerosols.
in Journal of hazardous materials
Silva, V. L. S.
(2021)
Data Assimilation Predictive GAN (DA-PredGAN): applied to determine the spread of COVID-19
Silva, V. L. S.
(2021)
Data Assimilation Predictive GAN (DA-PredGAN): applied to determine the spread of COVID-19
Tung NT
(2021)
Association Between Air Pollution and Lung Lobar Emphysema in COPD.
in Frontiers in medicine
Wu X
(2023)
Modeling for understanding of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) spread and design of an isolation room in a hospital
in Physics of Fluids
Zheng J
(2021)
Numerical study of COVID-19 spatial-temporal spreading in London.
in Physics of fluids (Woodbury, N.Y. : 1994)
| Description | The main finding of this research is that (i) there is the presence of SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID-19 infections in the air that we breathe in the immediate vicinity of someone infected with the virus and in public places such as in a train station and London underground platforms and hospital waiting areas (ii) the virus was detected by the technique of PCR but could not be cultured on cells (iii) the virus was detected principally on the particulate matter of pollution particularly on those very fine particles of sizes (diameters) of 5 microns or less (a micron is one millionth of a metre). We also found that the risk of catching these infections in the enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces is related to the degree of ventilation in the area, such that the London Underground platforms represents an area of high risk of inhaling these virus-associated particles. |
| Exploitation Route | 1. Ensure adequate ventilation in various public and semipublic areas such as Underground stations and patient waiting areas in hospitals. 2. Consider means of sampling the air for the virus in these areas as a means of assessing the safety of the environment. |
| Sectors | Environment,Healthcare,Transport |
| Description | We have been able to test the best tools to perform air sampling for the detection of SARS-CoV2, and determined that the best chance of recovering the virus is on particulate matter collected on filters. In addition, we have found that personal sampling using personal samplers worn by the subject has also been useful for detecting the virus while travelling on the Underground. These will be useful to us in our future work. We have been in contact with Transport for London to share information on our methods and results from sampling in the Underground system which they were interested in. A paper on the data collection and infection risk has been published (Kumar P et. al. (2022). Active Air Monitoring for Understanding the Ventilation and Infection Risks of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in Public Indoor Spaces. Atmosphere, (12), doi: 10.3390/atmos13122067). This was presented alongside work from a related project called INHALE (EPSRC funded: www.imperial.ac.uk/inhale) which many of the COVAIR team are involved with. We have established an ongoing discussion with them to explore opportunities for future collaboration. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Environment,Transport |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | Can Nuclear Modelling Techniques Help National Efforts to Combat COVID-19? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Professor Christopher Pain presented a talk entitled 'Can Nuclear Modelling Techniques Help National Efforts to Combat COVID-19?' on the 28th September 2021 to the Nuclear Institute. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.nuclearinst.com/Events-List/Could-Nuclear-Modelling-Techniques-Help-the-National-Efforts... |
| Description | Car Free Day stall and activities at Zero Carbon Guildford |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Guildford town centre was transformed on 26th September 2021, featuring market stalls from Ethical Vegan, Rural Crafts, antiques and our Farmer's Market. Other stalls offering street food, live music from local groups and street play for children. There was be lots of information about how residents can step up their actions to tackle climate change. Participants were encouraged to leave their cars at home and use alternative forms of transport, such as walking, cycling and public transport. https://www.guildford.gov.uk/carfreeday The GCARE team at Surrey led/participated in the following: 09:00 - Car Free Day https://www.zerocarbonguildford.org/event-details/car-free-day 10:00 - Guildford Living Lab - Drop-in Activities https://www.zerocarbonguildford.org/event-details/guildford-living-lab-co-creating-sustainable-solutions-for-air-pollution-and-climate-change-mitigation 14:00 - Guildford: The Worst Air Pollution In England https://www.zerocarbonguildford.org/event-details/the-worst-air-pollution-in-england See the related video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erNzwQqk-VA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.guildford.gov.uk/carfreeday |
| Description | EACCI: Global impact of COVID-19 on the environment |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | EAACI is the European Clinical Immunology and Allergy Society of >5000 members. This was a big audience, and were questions at the end. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.eaaci.org/eaaci-congresses/eaaci-2021 |
| Description | Fluids and Artificial Intelligence Modelling Methods and Applications |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Professor Christopher Pain presented 'Fluids and Artificial Intelligence Modelling Methods and Applications' to the Computational Fluid Dynamic and Artificial Intelligence Workshop 2021 at Shanghai University, on 30th August 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | From Water to Air: Scientific Pathways towards a Clearer, Cleaner Future |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Prof. Kian Fan Chung gave a talk entitled 'SARS-CoV2 and air pollution interactions' to this conference on 6th November 2021 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://jason.org/from-water-to-air-conference/ |
| Description | Lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Gave a Talk at the GSGA annual meeting. Impact of air pollution on respiratory health: a systems approach Following the Science? Exposure Limits, Toxicology and Human Health Thursday 2nd December 2021 The Gas Analysis and Sensing Group has unveiled the programme for its flagship scientific meeting bringing together the three important topics of exposure limits, toxicology and human health, with an eclectic group of speakers. Many organisations are developing or using sensors and detectors for gases, volatiles and particulate matter with the aim of improving human health and wellbeing: to prevent acute exposure to toxic gases or mitigate long-term chronic effects. But what does this actually mean, are we getting it right and where is the field going next? As we increase our understanding of the effects of airborne substances on the body, exposure limits change over time and our need for monitoring usually steps up a gear. The human body is no passive receptor but an active participant and even a source of gaseous species and aerosols. Speakers at the event will cover air pollution and airborne pathogens, effects on the respiratory system and cognition, the latest toxicology and the impact of all this on exposure limits, health and safety. Dr John Saffell of the organising committee noted: "The whole point of studying toxicology and establishing exposure limits is to improve human health and wellbeing, yet these three topics rarely come together in the same forum. Since health driven Limit Values are the driving force behind the growth of the air quality and health monitoring markets, this could be an important meeting for those interested in the future of gas, VOC and particle sensing." The GASG has been holding online meetings for members and non-members since the pandemic began and has managed to maintain its reputation for an informal, friendly atmosphere with high levels of engagement between attendees and live (rather than recorded) presentations. Free-flowing breakout rooms offer the chance to talk informally to speakers and other attendees. Dr Jane Hodgkinson, GASG Chair, added: "When we started our online meetings, we tried to replicate the live experience as far as possible, and I'm glad to say that our meetings have been incredibly successful. We hope to see our existing members at this meeting and will also extend a warm welcome to newcomers". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.envirotech-online.com/news/air-monitoring/6/gas-analysis-and-sensing-group-gasg/gasg-81s... |
| Description | Multi-physics and multi-scale adaptive mesh AI-modelling for the urban environment |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Professor Christopher Pain gave a talk entitled 'Multi-physics and multi-scale adaptive mesh AI-modelling for the urban environment' to the 10th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the Building and Environment (SuDBE2021) held in Chongqing from 4th to 7th November 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://www.sudbeconference.com/ |
| Description | Multi-scale Adaptive Mesh Predictive Modelling in Fluid Dynamics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr Fangxin Fang gave a talk entitled 'Multi-scale Adaptive Mesh Predictive Modelling in Fluid Dynamics' to the 6th International Electronic Conference on Water Sciences (https://sciforum.net/event/ECWS-6) from 15th to 30th November 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjmqyhx0I_E |
| Description | Next Breath: From Water to Air: |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a scientific meeting to discuss air pollution and climate change Next Breath is a charity that aims to bring advances in the cleaning of air to the world's children. The organization especially serves to help the 1.6 billion children who are at the greatest health risk due to dirty air. Led by Lorie Karnath, founding editor of Molecular Frontiers Journal, and Xaviere Masson founder of the World Frontiers Forum, Next Breath is collaborating with other nonprofit and for-profit organizations to provide educational tools as well as to bring simple and accessible non-therapeutic air hygiene to the kids who need them most. In November 2021 Next Breath organized a global program From Water to Air; Scientific Pathways towards a Clearer, Cleaner, Future, which gathered a number of top scientists to highlight advances in air quality control, disease detection and basic human hygiene, as well as help to map out ways to improve respiratory disease, today a leading cause of death in low income countries. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.nextbreath.global/ |
| Description | The combination of mask wearing and keeping windows open is best for reducing Covid-19 risk in cars, finds a new study |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Press release entitled 'The combination of mask wearing and keeping windows open is best for reducing Covid-19 risk in cars, finds a new study' published on 24th August 2021 following the publication of the journal article 'The nexus between in-car aerosol concentrations, ventilation and the risk of respiratory infection' in Environment International https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2021.106814 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/combination-mask-wearing-and-keeping-windows-open-best-reducing-covid-... |
| Description | Trends in nuclear modelling: fluids, solids, coupling and Artificial Intelligence |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Professor Christopher Pain presented 'Trends in nuclear modelling: fluids, solids, coupling and Artificial Intelligence' to the ANSWERS seminar on 10th November 2021 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.answerssoftwareservice.com/seminar.html |
| Description | University of Surrey reveals optimal usage time for face coverings to mitigate Covid-19 transmission |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Press release 'University of Surrey reveals optimal usage time for face coverings to mitigate Covid-19 transmission' related to publication of 'Efficacy of facemasks in mitigating respiratory exposure to submicron aerosols' in Journal of Hazardous Materials https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126783 • 13 articles across trade publications • Potential audience reach of close to 13 million readers • 100% positive news |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/university-surrey-reveals-optimal-usage-time-face-coverings-mitigate-c... |