**1. Introduction**

The ongoing pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its associated disease, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), have resulted in the generation of a tremendous amount of literature on various aspects of the disease and the virus. Of importance to this chapter is the literature on physical disinfection strategies for the virus, and infection prevention and control (IPAC) strategies for reducing potential transmission of the virus. In addition, physical inactivation approaches are used for rendering patient samples safe for handling in laboratories conducting diagnostic assays. Certain physical inactivation approaches also are used as barrier technologies for rendering human and animal raw materials safe for use in biologics manufacture. The literature specific to SARS-CoV-2 that has been published in the past 18 months is supplemented by previous literature on other relevant human and animal coronaviruses. These include human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV), and canine, feline, and bovine coronaviruses (this list is not all-inclusive). For the present review chapter, the authors searched the literature for gamma irradiation, electron beam, high pressure, UVC, and heat (thermal) inactivation of coronaviruses in general, and in particular, the specific coronaviruses listed above. No limits were placed on date of publication, although, for obvious reasons, the data on SARS-CoV-2 were obtained from papers published since 2019.

Strategies for IPAC of SARS-CoV-2 include an impressive arsenal of pharmaceutical (vaccines, palliative therapies) and non-pharmaceutical interventions (face mask usage, social distancing, testing, contact tracing and quarantine), as well as chemical and physical approaches for liquid, surface, and air disinfection and for personal hygiene. In this chapter, we have attempted to review the physical inactivation efficacy data for SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses. Our primary emphasis in this review is on IPAC, but other applications of physical inactivation approaches, such as rendering laboratory samples safe for handling within a biosafety I or II facility, and barrier treatments for inactivating potential contaminants in biologics animal-derived materials, are discussed.
