New From REALM Project: Test 2 Results Released For Braille Paper Pages, Glossy Paper Pages, Magazine Pages, Children’s Board Books, and Archival Folders

From the REALM Project Website:

The REALM Project has published the results of the second round of Battelle’s laboratory testing for COVID-19 on five commonly handled materials: braille paper pages, glossy paper pages, magazine pages, children’s board books, and archival folders.

From a Summary Blog Post via WebJunction:

Samples from each item were inoculated and placed inside the closed book or magazine. The items were then configured to mimic common storage conditions such as stacked or shelved books, or a pile of folders or magazines. (In Test 1, the items were not stacked.)

Results show that after two days of quarantine in a stacked configuration, the SARS-CoV-2 virus was not detectable on the archival folders.

After four days of quarantine in their stacked configuration, the virus was not detectable on the braille pages, glossy book pages, and board book.

The magazine pages showed a trace amount of virus at four days. Day four was the final timepoint tested.

The evaluation demonstrates that standard office temperature (68°F to 75°F) and relative humidity conditions (30 to 50 percent) provide an environment that allows for the natural attenuation of SARS-CoV-2 present on these materials after two days of quarantine for archival folders and four days of quarantine for the book pages. Compared to the results of Test 1, the results of Test 2 indicate that a slightly longer quarantine time for some types of cellulose-based paper materials sitting in a stacked configuration may be required to render SARS-CoV-2 undetectable.

Direct to Complete Test 2 Report
4 pages; PDF.

Direct to Complete Summary Blog Post

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