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Kayalar Ö, Arı A, Babuççu G, Konyalılar N, Doğan Ö, Can F, Şahin ÜA, Gaga EO, Levent Kuzu S, Arı PE, Odabaşı M, Taşdemir Y, Sıddık Cindoruk S, Esen F, Sakın E, Çalışkan B, Tecer LH, Fıçıcı M, Altın A, Onat B, Ayvaz C, Uzun B, Saral A, Döğeroğlu T, Malkoç S, Üzmez ÖÖ, Kunt F, Aydın S, Kara M, Yaman B, Doğan G, Olgun B, Dokumacı EN, Güllü G, Uzunpınar ES, Bayram H. Existence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on ambient particulate matter samples: A nationwide study in Turkey. Sci Total Environ 2021; 789:147976. [PMID: 34058581 PMCID: PMC8144095 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and has been affecting the world since the end of 2019. The disease led to significant mortality and morbidity in Turkey, since the first case was reported on March 11th, 2020. Studies suggest a positive association between air pollution and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of ambient particulate matters (PM), as potential carriers for SARS-CoV-2. Ambient PM samples in various size ranges were collected from 13 sites including urban and urban-background locations and hospital gardens in 10 cities across Turkey between 13th of May and 14th of June 2020 to investigate the possible presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on ambient PM. A total of 203 daily samples (TSP, n = 80; PM2.5, n = 33; PM2.5-10, n = 23; PM10μm, n = 19; and 6 size segregated PM, n = 48) were collected using various samplers. The N1 gene and RdRP gene expressions were analyzed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2, as suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to real time (RT)-PCR and three-dimensional (3D) digital (d) PCR analysis, dual RdRP and N1 gene positivity were detected in 20 (9.8%) samples. Ambient PM-bound SARS-CoV-2 was analyzed quantitatively and the air concentrations of the virus ranged from 0.1 copies/m3 to 23 copies/m3. The highest percentages of virus detection on PM samples were from hospital gardens in Tekirdağ, Zonguldak, and Istanbul, especially in PM2.5 mode. Findings of this study have suggested that SARS-CoV-2 may be transported by ambient particles, especially at sites close to the infection hot-spots. However, whether this has an impact on the spread of the virus infection remains to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Özgecan Kayalar
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Akif Arı
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Gölköy Campus, Bolu, Turkey
| | - Gizem Babuççu
- Koc University Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical Microbiology, Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Nur Konyalılar
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Özlem Doğan
- Koc University Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical Microbiology, Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Füsun Can
- Koc University Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical Microbiology, Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ülkü A Şahin
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Avcılar, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Eftade O Gaga
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Eskişehir Technical University, Eskişehir, Turkey
| | - S Levent Kuzu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering Faculty, Yildiz Technical University, Esenler, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Pelin Ertürk Arı
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Gölköy Campus, Bolu, Turkey
| | - Mustafa Odabaşı
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Yücel Taşdemir
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey
| | - S Sıddık Cindoruk
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey
| | - Fatma Esen
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey
| | - Egemen Sakın
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey
| | - Burak Çalışkan
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey
| | - Lokman H Tecer
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Çorlu Faculty of Engineering, Namık Kemal University, Tekirdağ, Turkey
| | - Merve Fıçıcı
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Çorlu Faculty of Engineering, Namık Kemal University, Tekirdağ, Turkey
| | - Ahmet Altın
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Turkey
| | - Burcu Onat
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Avcılar, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Coşkun Ayvaz
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Avcılar, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Burcu Uzun
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Avcılar, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Arslan Saral
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering Faculty, Yildiz Technical University, Esenler, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Tuncay Döğeroğlu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Eskişehir Technical University, Eskişehir, Turkey
| | - Semra Malkoç
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Eskişehir Technical University, Eskişehir, Turkey
| | - Özlem Özden Üzmez
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Eskişehir Technical University, Eskişehir, Turkey
| | - Fatma Kunt
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey
| | - Senar Aydın
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey
| | - Melik Kara
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Barış Yaman
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Güray Doğan
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
| | - Bihter Olgun
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
| | - Ebru N Dokumacı
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
| | - Gülen Güllü
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Elif S Uzunpınar
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Hasan Bayram
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Pulmonary Medicine, School of Medicine, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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