TY - JOUR
T1 - Face Coverings, Aerosol Dispersion and Mitigation of Virus Transmission Risk
AU - Viola, Ignazio Maria
AU - Peterson, Brian
AU - Pisetta, Gabriele
AU - Pavar, Geethanjali
AU - Akhtar, Hibbah
AU - Menoloascina, Filippo
AU - Mangano, Enzo
AU - Dunn, Katherine E.
AU - Gabl, Roman
AU - Nila, Alex
AU - Molinari, Emanuela
AU - Cummins, Cathal
AU - Thompson, Gerard
AU - Milly Lo, Tsz-Yan
AU - Denison, Fiona C.
AU - Digard, Paul
AU - Malik, Omair
AU - Dunn, Mark J. G.
AU - McDougall, Catherine M.
AU - Mehendale, Felicity
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by the European Research Council under Grant 759546, in part by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council under Grants EP/P020593/1 and EP/L016680/1, in part by the Institute Strategic Programme under Grant BB/P013740/1 from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and in part by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 IEEE.
PY - 2021/1/20
Y1 - 2021/1/20
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - COVID-19 pandemic
KW - aerosol dispersal
KW - aerosol generating procedures
KW - face coverings
KW - face masks
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121060642&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/OJEMB.2021.3053215
DO - 10.1109/OJEMB.2021.3053215
M3 - Article
C2 - 34812420
SN - 2644-1276
VL - 2
SP - 26
EP - 35
JO - IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology
JF - IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology
ER -