The Impact of Vocalization Loudness on COVID-19 Transmission in Indoor Spaces

Autor:	Barreda, Santiago, Asadi, Sima, Cappa, Christopher D., Wexler, Anthony S., Bouvier, Nicole M., Ristenpart, William D.
Rok vydání:	2020
Předmět:	Quantitative Biology - Quantitative Methods Physics - Physics and Society
Druh dokumentu:	Working Paper
Popis:	There have been several documented outbreaks of COVID-19 associated with vocalization, either by speech or by singing, in indoor confined spaces. Here, we model the risk of in-room airborne disease transmission via expiratory particle emission versus the average loudness of vocalization and for variable room ventilation rates. The model indicates that a 6-decibel reduction in average vocalization intensity yields a reduction in aerosol transmission probability equivalent to doubling the room ventilation rate. The results suggest that public health authorities should consider implementing "quiet zones" in high-risk indoor environments, such as hospital waiting rooms or dining facilities, to mitigate transmission of COVID-19 and other airborne respiratory diseases. Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures; supplementary included with 4 pages, 1 figure
Databáze:	arXiv
Externí odkaz:	http://arxiv.org/abs/2009.04060 Zobrazit plný text záznamu View this record from Arxiv