Antiviral activities of heated dolomite powder.

The effect of the heating conditions of dolomite powder on its antiviral activity was studied against the H5N3 avian influenza virus. Calcium oxide (CaO) and magnesium oxide (MgO), obtained by the thermal decomposition of dolomite above 800 degrees C, were shown to have strong antiviral activity, but the effect was lessened when the heating temperature exceeded 1400 degrees C. Simultaneous measurement of the crystallite size suggested that the weakening of the activity was due to the considerable grain growth of the oxides. It was found that the presence of Mg in dolomite contributed to the deterrence of grain growth of the oxides during the heating process. Although both CaO and MgO exhibited strong antiviral activity, CaO had the stronger activity but quickly hydrated in the presence of water. On the other hand, the hydration of MgO took place gradually under the same conditions. Separate measurements using MgO and Mg(OH)2 revealed that MgO had a higher antiviral effect than Mg(OH)2. From the overall experiments, it was suggested that the strong antiviral activity of dolomite was related to the hydration reaction of CaO.