Hi all, @ScienceExperts @HealthExperts @john.tavis @ThomasTu
I was trying to do some research and came across widely varying views and opinions on many websites as to how long hep b can actually live on surfaces. Could someone explain these discrepancies and what it’s the actual accepted time frame is and why?
Had a potential exposure bringing bodily fluids in on shoes/clothes from work am wondering if I need to clean all my kids toys, the car and seatbelt I used that day etc or if the virus may have already “died”/become inactive.
It’s been two weeks.
Some websites say 7 days, some say “weeks” and some say 9 months.
And they say it all depends on the surface.
Like plastic/metal/wood floors/clothe etc.
Websites usually say “more than 7 days” but that seems vague as that could include any matter of time.
Even hepatitis Australia says it could stay alive for weeks on any surface.
And journal articles make it seem that the virus may be infectable for months and months.
So how do we come to a conclusion on how long the virus actually survives? I understand the virus would be more vulnerable to outdoor conditions, but what about homes?
Thought this might be helpful for many to understand 
Thanks in advance
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7916105/
https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.5555/19822701290
Types of Viral Hepatitis: Hepatitis A, B, C.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/getaccess/pii/S0140673681928774/purchase
https://academic.oup.com/jid/article-abstract/129/2/210/2189412?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false
Hepatitis B – Devon Sexual Health.
https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/staying-healthy-guidelines/fact-sheets/hepatitis-b
https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/attachments/Staying-Healthy/Hepatitis-B.pdf
https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2340/
https://www.onlinecprcertification.net/blog/how-long-can-bloodborne-pathogens-survive-on-surfaces-your-go-to-guide/
Hi CAZ-Anonymous.
The varying numbers you are seeing is due to the fact that a huge number of variables impact viral stability, and that there are multiple ways to detect viruses that can give different answers. Most studies with HBV detect HBV remaining on surfaces by molecular tests such as PCR for the HBV DNA genome because doing sensitive infectivity tests with HBV is not really possible. However, that measures multiple types of HBV: infectious virus, virus that has been damaged and is no longer infectious, and fragmented DNA from the virus. So the numbers you read after a week or so will be over-estimates of the amount of infectious virus on a surface.
Exposure to sun or UV light will shorten the duration that infectious viruses are around without impacting the amount of HBV DNA present very much. Cool temperatures will prolong HBV’s infectivity, as will humid conditions. Porous surfaces will retain HBV better than smooth ones, but that includes both infectious and non-infectious virus.
So in short, there simply is not a single answer to how long infectious HBV can survive on surfaces, and the numbers you will read vary widely depending on how the experiment was done. The very long estimates are almost certainly measuring just HBV DNA and are significant overestimates with respect to infectious virus particles
John.
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wow, that’s extremely interesting @john.tavis
Very nuanced but I can start to see why. Thank you for your time to explain things in such detail!
Could you clarify the terminology of porous in a scientific setting, would that be anything from grout to fabric? Given your statement about the over estimates of infectious virus after a week, could we ask then, in a general home or car environment would you be surprised to see infectious HBV still present after two weeks? As I’ve read on the blog you’ve mentioned your training states 10-14 days for blood born viruses, is there a reason they come to this general conclusion?
Being even more specific would wet laundry or any place damp like in parts of a washing machine be a perfect environment for a virus? Or do we have enough evidence to believe it would degrade in that two week window. I hear you said cold and humid is the perfect environment to prolong its life span, but to what extent I wonder.
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