The next time you hear an “achoo!” nearby, shield yourself.
A new study shows people
blow out gas clouds when they sneeze or cough – and these clouds propel
germs further than previously thought.
Scientists at MIT studied
how coughs and sneezes move in slow motion using high-speed imaging, in
addition to mathematical modeling techniques and simulations. They found
that coughs and sneezes have two phases: A quick, jet-like propulsion
of droplets, and then a “puff” in which the droplets are suspended in a
gas cloud.
When the researchers
analyzed the trajectory of the expelled particles, they found that
relatively large droplets in the clouds – measuring 100 micrometers in
diameter – moved five times further than previous studies had shown. The
smaller ones, 10 micrometers across, traveled 200 times farther.
So stop the spread of disease by covering your coughs and sneezes.
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