Effects of Air Temperature on Inactivation of Airborne Viruses by Non-Thermal Plasma

Abstract Description: Viral aerosols are known to contribute to infectious disease transmission through the air. A 2023 GAO report found that workers in meat and poultry processing plants experienced 50 to 70 times the risk of COVID-19 infection as residents in the surrounding county who did not work at the plant. Non-thermal plasmas (NTPs) have previously been shown to inactivate airborne viruses. Taza Aya has developed a non-thermal plasma-enabled wearable air curtain which provides novel personal respiratory protection without the incumbrances of traditional face coverings (e.g., fogged glasses and goggles, difficulty with oral communication). Our previous work revealed the potential effects of chemically reducing trace gases such as NH3 and H2S on NTP inactivation of viral aerosols, with the most direct relevance being to animal agriculture, specifically meat and poultry production where such odorous gases are common around livestock. In the present study, we are interested in how the refrigerated temperatures of some parts of the meat and poultry *processing* environment might affect inactivation of viral aerosols. We used a preexisting NTP reactor to evaluate inactivation of bacteriophage MS2, suspended in a 3 cfm air flow whose temperature was modulated. Results qualitatively reveal the degree to which NTPs operated under refrigerated conditions might require use of enhanced performance measures as compared to operations under warmer conditions.