How Office Plants Help reduce the viability of airborne Covid viruses similar to Covid 19 :

University Oregon Study:

March/April 2020 Volume 5 Issue 2 e00245-20 msystems.asm.org 6

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Increasing evidence indicates that humidity can play a role in the survival of

membrane-bound viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2 (63–65). Previous research has found

that, at typical indoor temperatures, relative humidity (RH) above 40% is detrimental to

the survival of many viruses, including CoVs in general (63, 66, 67), and higher indoor

RH has been shown to reduce infectious influenza virus in simulated coughs (67). Based

upon studies of other viruses, including CoVs, higher RH also decreases airborne

dispersal by maintaining larger droplets that contain viral particles, thus causing them

to deposit onto room surfaces more quickly (63, 68, 69). Higher humidity likely

negatively impacts lipid-enveloped viruses, like CoVs, through interactions with the

polar membrane heads that lead to conformational changes of the membrane, causing

disruption and inactivation of the virus (70, 71). Furthermore, changes in humidity can

impact how susceptible an individual is to infection by viral particles (72) and how far

into the respiratory tract viral particles are likely to deposit (68). Decreased RH has been

demonstrated to decrease mucociliary clearance of invading pathogens and weakened

innate immune response (72–74). However, RH above 80% may begin to promote mold

growth, inducing potentially detrimental health effects (75). Although the current

ventilation standard adopted by health care and residential care facilities, ASHRAE

170-2017, permits a wider range of RH from 20% to 60%, maintaining a RH between

40% and 60% indoors may help to limit the spread and survival of SARS-CoV-2 within

the BE, while minimizing the risk of mold growth and maintaining hydrated and intact

mucosal barriers of human occupants (50, 67). Indoor humidification is not common in

most HVAC system designs, largely due to equipment cost and maintenance concerns

related to the risk of overhumidification increasing the potential of mold growth. While

administrators and building operators should consider the costs, merits, and risks of

implementing central humidification, especially during new construction or as a retrofit,

it may be too time intensive to implement in response to a specific viral outbreak

or episode. In addition, increased RH may lead to increased buildup on filters, decreasing

airflow. However, in pandemic situations, this practice likely increases the effectiveness

of capturing viral particles, and this benefit outweighs the increased filter

maintenance required. Therefore, targeted in-room humidification is another option to

consider, and this may reduce the likelihood of a maintenance oversight causing

overhumidification.

Building ventilation source and distribution path length can affect the composition

of indoor microbial communities. Ventilating a building by introducing air directly

through the perimeter of buildings into adjacent spaces is a strategy that does not rely

on the efficacy of whole-building filtration to prevent network distribution of microorganisms.

Delivering outside air directly through the envelope into an adjacent spatial

volume has been shown to increase the phylogenetic diversity of indoor bacterial and

fungal communities and create communities that are more similar to outdoorassociated

microbes than air delivered through a centralized HVAC system (76). In some

buildings, a similar approach can be accomplished through distributed HVAC units,

such as packaged terminal air-conditioners (PTAC) frequently found in hotels, motels,

senior housing facilities, condominium units, and apartments or through perimeter

passive ventilation strategies such as perimeter dampered vents (77, 78). However, for

most buildings, the easiest way to deliver outside air directly across the building

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