Proposal for an Iodine-131-based technique derived from a Monte Carlo study for inactivating SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Ionizing radiation has been used for many years in the development of vaccines against viruses. Recent studies have shown that γ radiation can effectively inactivate SARS-CoV-2 at doses ≥6 kGy. In this study, we proposed a β⁻ inactivation method for SARS-CoV-2 using the Iodine-131 (I-131). Using FreeCad software, we designed five four-layered hollow spheres with varying radii. The innermost layer is a solid sphere containing 5 cc of a 30 mCi I-131. The second layer consists of a 0.2 mm thick aerographene wall that separates the I-131 from the viral sample. The third layer is designed to accommodate 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cc of the viral sample. The outer layer is also a aerographene wall that serves as an external surface to protect the viral samples. We estimated the S-values for the selected viral samples using InterDosi 1.4 code, with ICRP adult male blood as the material assigned to the viral samples. Knowing that the SARS-CoV-2 can be viable when refrigerated at 4 °C for 21 days, we calculated the cumulative activity of I-131 in that same period or less. The mean absorbed dose was then estimated by multiplying the S-value by the cumulative activity. Our findings reveal that a 1 cc viral sample treated with 5 cc of 30 mCi I-131 achieved the highest S-value establishing it as the most effective geometric configuration examined. Furthermore, the study indicated that a single dose of I-131 can sequentially inactivate four 1 cc viral samples over a period of a month. We concluded that beta-emitting radionuclides like I-131 could serve as effective alternatives for inactivating SARS-CoV-2.