[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As health authorities and clinical experts recommend handwashing as the best hygiene practice to prevent the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), it has been scientifically confirmed that soap acts as a 'natural enemy' that kills the COVID-19 virus.
On the 10th, Kim Yong-gwan, a researcher from the Biosafety Research Team at the National Institute of Environmental Research under the Ministry of Environment, explained in a phone interview with Asia Economy, "The surfactant components contained in soap dissolve parts of the lipid layer that make up the outermost layer of coronaviruses including COVID-19, creating holes," adding, "Once holes are made in the membrane, the virus is essentially dead."
Coronaviruses that cause Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and COVID-19 all have spike proteins in the form of protrusions on their surface. Among these protrusions, the main infectious sites attach to receptors on intermediate hosts such as wild animals or human cells, causing infectious diseases. The spike proteins are embedded in a lipid membrane called the 'envelope,' and since the surfactants in soap dissolve parts of the lipids and destroy the structure, the virus cannot replicate and dies.
Surfactants refer to molecules that can act at the interface between two substances with different properties, such as water and oil. Due to this characteristic, surfactants adhere well to the lipid layer of the coronavirus, and because of their hydrophilic nature, when soap bubbles are rinsed away, the dead viruses are easily washed off with water.
Researcher Kim emphasized, "Although viruses can be killed with alcohol-based disinfectants, using soap is much more effective in completely removing viruses because it involves an additional step of washing hands with running water." Professor Pal Soderstrom of the University of New South Wales in Australia also posted images and explanations on his social network service (SNS) illustrating how soap breaks down the outermost membrane of the coronavirus.
Clinical experts both domestically and internationally stress, "Viruses enter the body when hands contaminated with coronavirus touch the eyes, nose, or mouth," and emphasize, "To prevent infectious diseases, it is important to develop the habit of thoroughly washing hands with soap under running water." Researcher Kim added, "Although it is difficult to clean tiny areas such as under the fingernails, if you wash the back of the hands, palms, and fingers well with soap and water, 99% of the viruses can be removed."
Meanwhile, the Biosafety Research Team at the National Institute of Environmental Research, consisting of 15 experts including Researcher Kim, studies infectious diseases and viruses originating from wild animals such as bats, African swine fever, and avian influenza.
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