Microwaves could reduce spread of COVID-19
Researchers in the US are exploring the use of microwaves to reduce the spread of infection with COVID-19 and other aerosolised viruses.
Studies show that the COVID-19 virus may be contained in aerosols that can be generated through breathing, coughing, sneezing and talking. While scientists have previously explored the use of electromagnetic energy to deactivate flu virus in bulk fluids, less work has been done to understand the role of non ionising radiation, such as microwaves, in reducing the infectivity of viral pathogens in aerosols.
The team at the US Air Force Research Laboratory are aiming to better characterise the threshold levels of microwave energy needed to inactivate aerosolised viral particles with their new study, published in Review of Scientific Instruments. According to the researchers, they developed a set of experimental tools capable of presenting electromagnetic waves to an aerosol mixture of biological media and virus with the capability to vary power, energy and frequency of electromagnetic exposure.
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