ArticleThe Journal of infectious diseases2020
Simulated Sunlight Rapidly Inactivates SARS-CoV-2 on Surfaces.
Article in The Journal of infectious diseases, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 192 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
192 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- How long do bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses retain their replication capacity on inanimate surfaces? A systematic review examining environmental resilience versus healthcare-associated infection risk by "fomite-borne risk assessment".Clinical microbiology reviews · 2024Pooled it
- A review on measurements of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in air in outdoor and indoor environments: Implication for airborne transmission.The Science of the total environment · 2022Pooled it
- Disinfection methods against SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review.The Journal of hospital infection · 2022Pooled it
- Surface contamination with SARS-CoV-2: A systematic review.The Science of the total environment · 2021Pooled it
- The efficacy of ultraviolet light-emitting technology against coronaviruses: a systematic review.The Journal of hospital infection · 2021Pooled it
- A systematic review of human coronaviruses survival on environmental surfaces.The Science of the total environment · 2021Pooled it
- Airborne spread of infectious SARS-CoV-2: Moving forward using lessons from SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.The Science of the total environment · 2021Pooled it
- Surface Composition and Temperature Interact to Shape Viral Survival and Growth.Environmental microbiology · 2026Article
- Inferring Seasonal Modulation of Early SARS-CoV-2 Transmissibility from Cross-Country Environmental and Population-Level Predictors.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A Qualitative Framework for Ranking the Relative Likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Between People and Felids at Zoological Interfaces.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Environmental drivers of influenza A and B: causal analysis and forecasting.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Pathogens on High-Touch Surfaces in an Arid Megacity: A Longitudinal Molecular Surveillance Study.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Insights into the mechanisms of infection transmission via inanimate surfaces.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- Photoinactivation of influenza viruses by modulated indoor daylight spectrum and intensity.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2025Article
- Next-Generation Nucleic Acid-Based Diagnostics for Viral Pathogens: Lessons Learned from the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Air, surface, and wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2; a multimodal evaluation of COVID-19 detection in a built environment.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2025Article
- Explaining international differences in excess mortality due to Covid-19.Scientific reports · 2025Article
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- SARS-CoV-2 RNA Presence in Outdoor Air of Public Spaces in Valladolid During Winter, 2021.Food and environmental virology · 2024Article
132 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
19 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 is stable on surfaces for extended periods under indoor conditions. In the present study, simulated sunlight rapidly inactivated SARS-CoV-2 suspended in either simulated saliva or culture media and dried on stainless steel coupons. Ninety percent of infectious virus was inactivated every 6.8 minutes in simulated saliva and every 14.3 minutes in culture media when exposed to simulated sunlight representative of the summer solstice at 40°N latitude at sea level on a clear day. Significant inactivation also occurred, albeit at a slower rate, under lower simulated sunlight levels. The present study provides the first evidence that sunlight may rapidly inactivate SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces, suggesting that persistence, and subsequently exposure risk, may vary significantly between indoor and outdoor environments. Additionally, these data indicate that natural sunlight may be effective as a disinfectant for contaminated nonporous materials.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.