High Heat Disarms Viruses

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University has designed an experimental system that shows exposure of the virus to a very high temperature, even if applied for less than a second, can be sufficient to neutralize the virus so that it can no longer infect another human host.

“Those who cannot be cured by medicine can be cured by surgery. Those who cannot be cured by surgery can be cured by fire [hyperthermia]. Those who cannot be cured by fire, they are indeed incurable.” ― Hippocrates

“If there’s a way to heat the bones, then all diseases can be treated.” ― Hippocrates

Applying heat to neutralize viruses has been demonstrated before, but in previous studies temperatures were applied from anywhere from one to 20 minutes. This length of time is not a practical solution, as applying heat for a long period of time is both difficult and costly. Han and his team have now demonstrated that heat treatment for less than a second completely inactivates the virus — providing a possible solution to mitigating the ongoing spread of the virus, particularly through long-range airborne transmission.

Generally, viruses survive for shorter periods at higher temperatures and higher humidity than in cooler or dryer environments.

List of exposure temperatures and durations for inactivating virus strains:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7361064/table/rmv2115-tbl-0001/

The researchers in the study concluded that:

“For temperatures above 65°C (149°F) is expected to cause near complete inactivation with exposures greater than 3 minutes. For temperatures between 55 and 60°C (131‐140°F) heating should last 5 minutes or more. However, for temperatures in the range 50‐55°C (122‐131°F) we recommend 20 minutes or longer of exposure.”

The iTeraCare Quantum Terahertz Device heats up to 170°F!

IMPORTANCE: Heat is a powerful weapon against most infectious agents. It is widely used for decontamination of medical, laboratory, and personal protective equipment, and for biological samples. There are many methods of heat treatment, and methodological details can affect the speed and efficacy of decontamination.

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* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult your healthcare provider.

Sources:

https://today.tamu.edu/2021/04/26/exposure-to-high-heat-neutralizes-sars-coronavirus-in-less-than-one-second

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7361064/

https://www.healthline.com/health/what-temperature-kills-coronavirus#research

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/AEM.00314-21

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergency_management/downloads/hpai/heattreatment.pdf