Do wind instruments disperse COVID aerosol droplets?
Written By : Isra Zaman
Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli
Published On 2022-08-17 04:00 GMT | Update On 2022-08-17 07:48 GMT
In Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania worked with musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra to deepen our understanding of how much aerosol is produced and dispersed by wind instruments.The researchers used visualization to characterize the flow and then tracked fog particles in the air with a laser. They also measured aerosol concentration...
Login or Register to read the full article
In Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania worked with musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra to deepen our understanding of how much aerosol is produced and dispersed by wind instruments.
The researchers used visualization to characterize the flow and then tracked fog particles in the air with a laser. They also measured aerosol concentration from wind instruments with a particle counter.
Then they combined these two measurements to develop a simple equation to describe aerosol dispersion, in which the aerosol speed decays with distance from the instrument. The idea is to help other researchers determine how far aerosols will travel by measuring the exit flow speed.This informs how fast the flow will decay.
Aerosols emitted by wind instruments shared a similar concentration and size distribution compared to normal speech and respiration events.
"We were surprised that the amount of aerosol produced is of the same range as normal speech," said author Paulo Arratia. "I was expecting much higher flow speeds and aerosol concentrations."
Flow measurements showed that exit jet speeds are much lower than coughing and sneezing events. For most instruments, the maximum decay length is less than 2 meters from the instrument opening. Consequently, wind musicians should stay 6 feet apart, similar to the recommendation for individuals.
Ref:
"Flow and aerosol dispersion from wind musical instruments" authored by Quentin Brosseau,Ranjiangshang Ran, Ian Graham, Douglas J. Jerolmack, and Paulo E. Arratia.Physics of Fluids Aug. 16, 2022 (DOI: 10.1063/5.0098273).
Our comments section is governed by our Comments Policy . By posting comments at Medical Dialogues you automatically agree with our Comments Policy , Terms And Conditions and Privacy Policy .
Disclaimer: This site is primarily intended for healthcare professionals. Any content/information on this website does not replace the advice of medical and/or health professionals and should not be construed as medical/diagnostic advice/endorsement/treatment or prescription. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use, privacy policy, advertisement policy. © 2024 Minerva Medical Treatment Pvt Ltd