UVB (290–315 nm) inactivation of the SARS CoV-2 virus as a function of the standard UV index

Abstract

The inactivation time for the SARS CoV-2 virus, mostly by a portion of UVB spectrum (290–315 nm) in sunlight, has been estimated using radiative transfer calculations and a relative wavelength sensitivity virus inactivation action spectrum Aₗₛ. The action spectrum is adjusted for the SARS CoV-2 virus using a derived UV dose D₉₀ = 3.2 J/m² for 90% inactivation to match laboratory results for the inactivation of SARS CoV-2 virus droplets on steel mesh. Estimation of the time for 90% inactivation T₉₀ at a specific geographic location can be simplified using the commonly published or calculated UV index (UVI). The use of UVI has the advantage that information on the amount of ozone, the site altitude, and the degree of cloud cover are built into the published UVI calculation. Simple power-law T₉₀(UVI) = a UVIb fitting equations are derived that provide estimates of T₉₀(UVI) for 270 specific locations. Using the results from the 270 locations, a generalized latitude θ dependence is presented for the coefficients a(θ) and b(θ) that enables T₉₀(θ, UVI) to be estimated for 60°S ≤ θ ≤ 60°N and for noon and 2 h around local solar noon.