Pre-adolescent children exhibit lower aerosol particle volume emissions than adults for breathing, speaking, singing and shouting.
J R Soc Interface
; 19(187): 20210833, 2022 02.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1706677
ABSTRACT
Speaking and singing are activities linked to increased aerosol particle emissions from the respiratory system, dependent on the utilized vocal intensity. As a result, these activities have experienced considerable restrictions in enclosed spaces since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the risk of infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, transmitted by virus-carrying aerosols. These constraints have affected public education and extracurricular activities for children as well, from in-person music instruction to children's choirs. However, existing risk assessments for children have been based on emission measurements of adults. To address this, we measured the particle emission rates of 15 pre-adolescent children, all eight to ten years old, with a laser particle counter for the test conditions breathing at rest, speaking, singing and shouting. Compared with values taken from 15 adults, emission rates for breathing, speaking and singing were significantly lower for children. Particle emission rates were reduced by a factor of 4.3 across all conditions, whereas emitted particle volume rates were reduced by a factor of 4.8. These data can supplement SARS-CoV-2 risk management scenarios for various school and extracurricular settings.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Singing
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Child
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J R Soc Interface
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Rsif.2021.0833
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS