No abstract

Thermal caves represent an environment characterized by unique chemical-physical properties, often used by customers for treatment and care of musculoskeletal, respiratory and skin diseases. The recent pandemic caused by COVID-19 has imposed the need to investigate the potential transmission scenario of SARS-CoV-2 virus also in such atypical and poorly studied indoor environments. This research work was carried out inside a natural thermal cave located in Italy where a waterfall of sulfur-sulfate-bicarbonate-alkaline earth mineral thermal water creates a warm-humid environment with 100% humidity and 48°C temperature. A characterization of the aerosol was carried out in terms of number, surface area and mass, as well as particle size distributions. The physical characteristics of the aerosol were measured inside the natural thermal cave and in other immediately adjacent areas in two different days and in two distinct moments by means of an optical spectrometer. The data obtained showed a predominance of particles with a diameter greater than 8 μm, associated with a low ability of penetration in the human respiratory system. Subsequently, through a model recently proposed in scientific literature, it was evaluated the airborne transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 inside the cave by quantifying the probability of infection due to exposure in a microenvironment in presence of a SARS-CoV-2 infected subject. The infection risk was evaluated for different scenarios obtained combining parameters such as physical, breathing or talking activities of the occupants, simultaneous or non-simultaneous access to the cave and mechanical ventilation activated or non-activated. In terms of the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, evaluated under the hypotheses of the model, it was highlighted the decisive effect of the mechanical ventilation system on the risk of contagion: for all the hypothesized scenarios, there is a substantial reduction in the risk of contagion considering the ventilation system active. Furthermore, the adoption of social distancing measures such as non-simultaneous access to the cave makes the risk of contagion extremely low, according to the assumptions underlying the model, even with the mechanical ventilation system not active.

The airborne transmission of the COVID-19 virus was considered the main cause of infection. The increasing concern about the virus spread in confined spaces, characterized by high crowding indexes and an often-inadequate air exchange system, pushes the scientific community to the design of many studies aimed at improving indoor air quality. The risk of transmission depends on several factors such as droplet properties, virus characteristics, and indoor airflow patterns. The main transmission route of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to humans is the respiratory route through small (<100 μm) and large droplets. In an indoor environment, the air exchange plays a fundamental role on the dispersion of the droplets. In this study, an integrated approach was developed to evaluate the influence of the ventilation strategy on the dispersion of respiratory droplets emitted inside a coach bus. There are no specific guidelines and standards on the air exchange rate (AER) values to be respected in indoor environments such as coach buses. The aim of this work is to analyse the influence of ventilation strategy on the respiratory droplet concentration and distribution emitted in a coach bus. Ansys FLUENT was used to numerically solve the well-known transient Navier-Stokes equations (URANS equations), the energy equation and using the Lagrangian Discrete Phase Model (DPM) approach to construct the droplet trajectories. The geometry is representative of an intercity bus, a vehicle constructed exclusively for the carriage of seated passengers. The 3D CAD model represented a coach bus with an HVAC system, within which an infected subject was present. The positions of exhaust vents and air-conditioning vents were chosen to ensure complete air circulation throughout the bus. The infected subject emitted droplets with a well-defined size distribution and mass through the mouth. The air exchange is provided in two different ways: general ventilation (from air intakes positioned along the bus windows and top side of central corridor) and personal ventilation (with air intakes for each passenger). For the general ventilation a single AER value was set (0.3 m3 s−1). The first results obtained showed a slight particle dispersion in the computational domain due to the airflow rate entered through the HVAC system, but a still elevated level of particle concentration tended to accumulate on the area near to infected subject. Additional analysis was executed to evaluate the beneficial effects linked to further addition of airflow through personal air-conditioning vents placed above every passenger’s head. The results show the importance of the use of the ventilation system inside a coach bus, highlighting how the contribution linked to of the personal air exchange rate can lead to a significant reduction of droplet concentration exposure and consequently a reduction of the risk of infection from airborne diseases.