If HIV is contained in any of the aforementioned substances (blood, semen, vaginal and cervical secretions, urine, feces, mother's milk, saliva, tears) and these substances leave the body, the HIVs in these substance are capable of remaining infectious until these substances dry up, depending on circumstances, probably a matter of minutes or hours. If any of these substances stay moist, viruses contained in them can survive much longer. For example, in "water' and blood solutions (10% blood, 90% saline), HIV can survive at room temperature for 2 weeks. In refrigerated blood, such as blood used for transfusions, HIV can survive indefinitely.
Instructions on how to handle these substances follow in the Chapter "Preventing AIDS."
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