According to the hypothesis formulated by the Italian Society of Environmental Medicine and scientists from the universities of Bari, Bologna and Trieste, particles in the ambient air could be a vehicle for transporting the virus.
They noted a high concentration of fine particles in the atmosphere where the epidemic spread very quickly, about two weeks before the virus began to spread.
The hypothesis remains to be verified, but the virus could be suspended in the ambient air where there are the most particles, and therefore be easier to contract.
“It’s hypothetical, but it’s not far-fetched,” commented Professor Audrey Smargiassi, from the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal.
Thus, she continues, a study published in 2010 established an association between sandstorms and the spread of the H5N1 virus.
“If there are particles, and the more particles there are, theoretically it is possible that the viruses condense on these particles and travel or remain suspended in the air longer, and travel over larger distances, ”Ms. Smargiassi said.
Experts currently believe that droplets loaded with SARS-CoV-2 fall back to the ground after about 30 minutes.
But it’s not just the droplets, Ms. Smargiassi warns.
“It doesn’t say there won’t be smaller than droplets when a person sneezes,” she said. If there was indeed virus in aerosols, then yes, indeed, those aerosols could remain in suspension for longer, especially if there are more particles in the air. But all this remains very theoretical. We don’t have strong scientific evidence other than a few examples (like H5N1). ”
Beyond the particles that may or may not carry the coronavirus, it is very well documented that people who are regularly exposed to high levels of air pollution are at greater risk for respiratory problems, whether it is the COVID-19 or whatever.
“You have to remember that pollution makes people more at risk, not necessarily because of the transport of the virus, but because people are more at risk of infections because they are exposed to pollution,” Ms. Smargiassi.
–
