What kills the virus?

Boeing and University of Arizona, in their study and tests, have found that all disinfection methods being adopted by airlines are indeed effective in killing the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

Nisha Verma

Boeing and University of Arizona have joined hands to study the effectiveness of cleaning solutions on aircraft virus, especially the COVID-19 or coronavirus. According to recent tests carried out by them, it was revealed that the cleaning methods that airlines are employing today are effective and do kill the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes the disease. These first-of-their-kind tests were carried out on an unoccupied Boeing airliner, as part of the US aerospace giant Boeing Confident Travel Initiative (CTI). For the tests, MS2 bacteriophage (‘bacteria-eating’) viruses, which were provided by the University of Arizona, were used at high-touch locations throughout the cabin, since these are harmless to people and are more difficult to kill than SARS-CoV-2. The MS2 bacteriophage were put at various places, including arm rests, seat cushions, seat tray tables, stowage bins and in the galleys and lavatories. These areas were then disinfected using different products and technologies such as chemical disinfectants, antimicrobial coatings and ultraviolet (UV) light. After analysing the tests, Arizona University’s Department of Environmental Sciences correlated the results with SARS-CoV-2 in a secure laboratory.Mike Delaney, Head, Boeing CTI, shared, “It was critical for us to evaluate and confirm that the chemicals and techniques we recommend for our customers’ use are effective and battle-tested.”It was revealed that despite having different levels of effectiveness with various disinfecting products and methods tested, they were all effective in killing the virus. Boeing and the University of Arizona are continuing tests.