Effects of mask-wearing on the inhalability and deposition of airborne SARS-CoV-2 aerosols in human upper airway
Even though face masks are well accepted as tools useful in reducing COVID-19 transmissions, their effectiveness in reducing viral loads in the respiratory tract is unclear. Wearing a mask will significantly alter the airflow and particle dynamics near the face, which can change the inhalability of...
Gespeichert in:
Veröffentlicht in: | Physics of fluids (1994) 2020-12, Vol.32 (12), p.123312-123312 |
---|---|
1. Verfasser: | |
Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
Online-Zugang: | Volltext |
Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
Zusammenfassung: | Even though face masks are well accepted as tools useful in reducing COVID-19
transmissions, their effectiveness in reducing viral loads in the respiratory tract is
unclear. Wearing a mask will significantly alter the airflow and particle dynamics near
the face, which can change the inhalability of ambient particles. The objective of this
study is to investigate the effects of wearing a surgical mask on inspiratory airflow and
dosimetry of airborne, virus-laden aerosols on the face and in the respiratory tract. A
computational model was developed that comprised a pleated surgical mask, a face model,
and an image-based upper airway geometry. The viral load in the nose was particularly
examined with and without a mask. Results show that when breathing without a mask, air
enters the mouth and nose through specific paths. When wearing a mask, however, air enters
the mouth and nose through the entire surface of the mask at lower speeds, which favors
the inhalation of ambient aerosols into the nose. With a 65% filtration efficiency (FE)
typical for a three-layer surgical mask, wearing a mask reduces dosimetry for all
micrometer particles except those of size 1 µm–3 µm, for
which equivalent dosimetry with and without a mask in the upper airway was predicted.
Wearing a mask reduces particle penetration into the lungs, regardless of the FE of the
mask. The results also show that mask-wearing protects the upper airway (particularly the
nose and larynx) best from particles larger than 10 µm while protecting
the lungs best from particles smaller than 10 µm. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1070-6631 1089-7666 |
DOI: | 10.1063/5.0034580 |