How much virus is in the “cough cloud”? This is another proof that masks are worth wearing
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Protective masks, apart from distance and hygiene, are our most important tool in limiting the spread of the coronavirus. We all know they need to be (properly) worn, but scientists are still researching how and in what situations they are helpful. This time they decided to look at the amount of air that a person exhales.

  1. Wearing face masks is therefore one of the basic ways to limit the spread of the pathogen
  2. Amit Agrawal and Rajneesh Bhardwaj decided to check how aerosols (potentially infectious) spread when coughing or sneezing without a mask and with the use of a face shield
  3. The study found that the number of potentially infectious airborne droplets is up to 23 times smaller when wearing a mask than when wearing a mask.
  4. The work of scientists can help, among others in determining the number of people who could be safely accommodated, for example, in a hospital ward or restaurant
  5. For more up-to-date information on the coronavirus epidemic, visit the TvoiLokony home page

Wearing masks is one of the basic ways to limit the spread of the pathogen

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, like e.g. influenza viruses, can be spread by droplets. Virus-containing aerosol drops can be emitted by infected e.g. when coughing, sneezing, along with saliva. Wearing protective masks is therefore one of the basic ways to limit the spread of the pathogen (although they do not give 100% effectiveness and cannot replace observance of the distance and hygiene rules – comprehensive action is necessary).

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Nobody doubts that masks are necessary. However, scientists are still testing them in different possible situations – and they get more evidence that they are worth wearing. This is evidenced by a recent study by two scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, based in Mumbai.

Amit Agrawal and Rajneesh Bhardwaj decided to test how aerosols (potentially infectious) spread when coughing or sneezing without a mask and with the use of a face shield. The role of the air exhausted when coughing or sneezing and its mixing with the surrounding air is key to understanding the spread of the pandemic, the researchers explained.

The results of their experiment were published in the scientific monthly Physics of Fluids.

Scientists: the presence of a mask significantly reduces the risk of infecting others

The study found that the “cough cloud” was present in the air for five to eight seconds, after which it began to dissipate whether we had a mask or not. Importantly, however, the number of potentially infectious airborne droplets is up to 23 times smaller when wearing a mask than when we don’t.

However, the size of the “cough cloud” also depended on the type of mask. Compared to coughing without a mask – the surgical mask reduced the volume by seven times, the mask with the N95 mask – 23 times.

– Our analysis suggests that the first five to eight seconds after the cough begins is critical to suspend exhaled droplets in the air, and the volume of air that is later contaminated is about 23 times greater than the volume of air emitted by a cough (when we are not wearing a mask – ed. ) – scientists describe

As they note, the presence of the mask drastically reduces this volume and thus significantly reduces the risk of contamination of other people nearby. The spread of the spray cloud also reduces coughing in the elbow or the use of a tissue – these actions also reduce the spread of the virus.

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A study by Agrawal and Bhardwaj could help design confined space ventilation that could reduce the spread of the pathogen. Their work can also help determine the number of people that could be safely accommodated, for example, in a hospital ward, railroad car, airplane cabin, or restaurant.

You may be interested in:

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