Environmental Aspects of the Coronaviruses Transmission: A Narrative Review

The emergence of a novel coronavirus causing acute respiratory syndrome called coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in late 2019 in China has now become a global concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) in January 2020 declared the novel coronavirus outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern. The morphology and chemical structure of the novel coronavirus are very similar to other human coronaviruses, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS).

This narrative review was conducted from March to April 2020. Keywords of Coronavirus, SARS, MERS, COVID-19, Environment, Air, Disinfection, Water, and Wastewater were searched in important databases including PubMed, Science direct, and Google scholar. In this review, environmental factors affecting the transmission of coronaviruses were investigated with emphasis on survival and resistance in different environments as well as appropriate disinfectants for inactivation of the viruses.

According to the collected evidence about the novel coronavirus and other human coronaviruses, the virus is transmitted directly through oral and nasal secretions and respiratory droplets, as well as indirect transmission through the contact of virus-contaminated hands to the mucous membrane of nose and eyes.

Because of the lack of definitive medical treatment for the novel coronavirus and the role of environment in transmission of the virus, prevention of virus transmission via protection of environmental health and cutting off the transmission chain is essential.