Impact of High-Touch Surfaces on Potential Transmission of Diseases in Offices and Public Buildings

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has raised serious concerns regarding the implementation of public health and social measures to prevent infections. The main routes of transmission include direct contact with at-risk patients and indirect contact with contaminated high-touch surfaces. High-touch surfaces (e.g., lift buttons, door handles, tables) are generally accepted as important spots of infection transmission. The present work investigates the transmission dynamics of surfaces in public and office environments via determination of highly touched surfaces. Additionally, self-inoculation in these environments was measured by the average number of hand-to-face contacts. The observation data were collected based on the direct physical contact with touched surfaces where subjects were the members and visitors of each environment. The results indicate that doorknobs and tables can be considered as highly touched surfaces at both investigated sites due to their higher contact frequency. The public environment involved a greater number of contacts per hour than the office environment. Anti-viral materials such as mineral nanocrystals, photocatalyst nanomaterials, and metallic nanoparticles should be chosen for hard surfaces in office environments, including door handles, tables, walls, and doorframes. As an example, Zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), and copper (Cu) are among the most prevalent metals that bind with viral proteins. Consequently, anti-viral coatings with intelligent release of Zn, Mg, and/or Cu ions could be developed and used to prevent the viability of SARS-CoV-2 virus on high-touch surfaces. It should be noted that increased human exposure to these ions would require a careful assessment of potential adverse health consequences along with measures targeting their minimization. The presented results provide understanding on transmission dynamics through surfaces in building environments, and ensuing discussion may help contribute to building sustainability and promote pandemic resilience via innovation in the built environment.