Investigating SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Environmental Surface, Water, Wastewater and Air: A Systematic Review

The occurrence of COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international alarm was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on January 30, 2020. The identified transmission path is due to direct close contact or via respirational droplets. There is uncertainty about other ways, such as transmission of surfaces, air, and other sources. This study follows the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines to investigate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus in environmental surfaces, water, wastewater, and air.

In this study, we performed a systematic literature search in PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, and Web of Science (ISI) databases in August 2022. The investigation on electronic databases resulted in a total of 2049 articles. A total of 249 potentially relevant were identified for full-text evaluation. Meanwhile, 30 articles were included in the synthesis.

According to four included studies, negative detection of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in water is established. A laboratory study has shown that viable SARS-CoV-2 could be found in aerosols for about 3 h. Also, the virus can be found on dry surfaces, depending on the material of the surface, for 8 to 72 h. Our results showed it is possible to exciting SARS-CoVs in air, environmental surface, and wastewater. 

These results can help healthy policymakers make suitable assessments of main prevention measures.