Face Coverings, Aerosol Dispersion and Mitigation of Virus Transmission Risk

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is primarily transmitted through virus-laden fluid particles ejected from the mouth of infected people. Face covers can mitigate the risk of virus transmission but their outward effectiveness is not fully ascertained. Objective: by using a background oriented schlieren technique...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE open journal of engineering in medicine and biology 2021, Vol.2, p.26-35
Main Authors: Viola, Ignazio Maria, Peterson, Brian, Pisetta, Gabriele, Pavar, Geethanjali, Akhtar, Hibbah, Menoloascina, Filippo, Mangano, Enzo, Dunn, Katherine E., Gabl, Roman, Nila, Alex, Molinari, Emanuela, Cummins, Cathal, Thompson, Gerard, Lo, Tsz-Yan Milly, Denison, Fiona C., Digard, Paul, Malik, Omair, Dunn, Mark J. G., McDougall, Catherine M., Mehendale, Felicity V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aerosol dispersal
aerosol generating procedures
Aerosols
Air flow
Cough
COVID-19 pandemic
Disease transmission
Fabrics
Face
face coverings
face masks
Faces
Masks
Mitigation
Mouth
Protective equipment
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Surgery
Viruses
Viruses (medical)
Visualization
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Summary:The SARS-CoV-2 virus is primarily transmitted through virus-laden fluid particles ejected from the mouth of infected people. Face covers can mitigate the risk of virus transmission but their outward effectiveness is not fully ascertained. Objective: by using a background oriented schlieren technique, we aim to investigate the air flow ejected by a person while quietly and heavily breathing, while coughing, and with different face covers. Results: we found that all face covers without an outlet valve reduce the front flow through by at least 63% and perhaps as high as 86% if the unfiltered cough jet distance was resolved to the anticipated maximum distance of 2-3 m. However, surgical and handmade masks, and face shields, generate significant leakage jets that may present major hazards. Conclusions: the effectiveness of the masks should mostly be considered based on the generation of secondary jets rather than on the ability to mitigate the front throughflow.
ISSN:2644-1276
2644-1276
DOI:10.1109/OJEMB.2021.3053215