TY - JOUR
T1 - Human Research Study of Particulate Propagation Distance From Human Respiratory Function
AU - Reyes, Jonathan
AU - Stiehl, Bernhard
AU - Delgado, Juanpablo
AU - Kinzel, Michael
AU - Ahmed, Kareem
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
PY - 2022/4/15
Y1 - 2022/4/15
N2 - Background: Airborne viral pathogens like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be encapsulated and transmitted through liquid droplets/aerosols formed during human respiratory events. Methods: The number and extent of droplets/aerosols at distances between 1 and 6 ft (0.305-1.829 m) for a participant wearing no face covering, a cotton single-layer cloth face covering, and a 3-layer disposable face covering were measured for defined speech and cough events. The data include planar particle imagery to illuminate emissions by a light-sheet and local aerosol/droplet probes taken with phase Doppler interferometry and an aerodynamic particle sizer. Results: Without face coverings, droplets/aerosols were detected up to a maximum of 1.25 m (4.1ft ± 0.22-0.28 ft) during speech and up to 1.37 m (4.5ft ± 0.19-0.33 ft) while coughing. The cloth face covering reduced maximum axial distances to 0.61 m (2.0 ft ± 0.11-0.15 ft) for speech and to 0.67 m (2.2 ft ± 0.02-0.20 ft) while coughing. Using the disposable face covering, safe distance was reduced further to 0.15 m (0.50 ft ± 0.01-0.03 ft) measured for both emission scenarios. In addition, the use of face coverings was highly effective in reducing the count of expelled aerosols. Conclusions: The experimental study indicates that 0.914 m (3 ft) physical distancing with face coverings is equally as effective at reducing aerosol/droplet exposure as 1.829 m (6 ft) with no face covering.
AB - Background: Airborne viral pathogens like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be encapsulated and transmitted through liquid droplets/aerosols formed during human respiratory events. Methods: The number and extent of droplets/aerosols at distances between 1 and 6 ft (0.305-1.829 m) for a participant wearing no face covering, a cotton single-layer cloth face covering, and a 3-layer disposable face covering were measured for defined speech and cough events. The data include planar particle imagery to illuminate emissions by a light-sheet and local aerosol/droplet probes taken with phase Doppler interferometry and an aerodynamic particle sizer. Results: Without face coverings, droplets/aerosols were detected up to a maximum of 1.25 m (4.1ft ± 0.22-0.28 ft) during speech and up to 1.37 m (4.5ft ± 0.19-0.33 ft) while coughing. The cloth face covering reduced maximum axial distances to 0.61 m (2.0 ft ± 0.11-0.15 ft) for speech and to 0.67 m (2.2 ft ± 0.02-0.20 ft) while coughing. Using the disposable face covering, safe distance was reduced further to 0.15 m (0.50 ft ± 0.01-0.03 ft) measured for both emission scenarios. In addition, the use of face coverings was highly effective in reducing the count of expelled aerosols. Conclusions: The experimental study indicates that 0.914 m (3 ft) physical distancing with face coverings is equally as effective at reducing aerosol/droplet exposure as 1.829 m (6 ft) with no face covering.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85128493496&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85128493496&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/infdis/jiab609
DO - 10.1093/infdis/jiab609
M3 - Article
C2 - 35022781
AN - SCOPUS:85128493496
SN - 0022-1899
VL - 225
SP - 1321
EP - 1329
JO - Journal of Infectious Diseases
JF - Journal of Infectious Diseases
IS - 8
ER -