Partition walls as effective protection from bio-aerosols in classrooms – an experimental investigation

Epple, Philipp; Steppert, Michael; Florschütz, Michael; Dahlem, Peter

doi:10.3205/dgkh000380

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Of previously published studies similar to our one 12 , 13 , 15 , 17 , 18 , none seem to employ automation like we do, as they are “one-off” experiments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Thus, these approaches may not accurately reproduce effects such as air turbulence, which would naturally occur in situations where people wear masks. Up until recently, there were only a few experiments that dealt with mask efficacy or the spread of aerosols in realistic scenarios, such as concert halls 12 , small rooms 13 – 15 , vehicles 16 , 17 , or classrooms 18 – 20 . These experiments presumably took a lot of time to set up or operate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The measuring aerosol spreading during countermeasures (MASC) study presents an automated system to investigate face mask efficacy and other aerosol countermeasures in varying environments

Schreiber

Brüggmann

Braun

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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The COVID-19 pandemic exemplified the importance of research on personal protective equipment. In specific, understanding how effective surgical masks or particulate filter respirators are at reducing the transmission of infectious diseases has suddenly become one of the most pressing issues for legislators, regulators, and everyday life. However, there was a lack of available scientific platforms to assess this issue. Therefore, we designed and built a system entitled MASC: measuring aerosol spreading during countermeasures. This platform allows the simulation of various everyday situations and evaluation of the efficacy of masks and respirators in reducing the amount of inhaled particulate matter from the air. Furthermore, MASC can be used to investigate how aerosols propagate in closed spaces, such as offices or classrooms. It can be used to generate aerosols on command and control the room temperature, humidity, and wind speed. Up to four laser aerosol spectrometers can be read simultaneously, and a camera can automatically take pictures to evaluate the efficacy of countermeasures to prevent the spread of aerosols. The aerosol generation, measurement periods, and the number of repetitions for an experiment can be configured digitally and are executed by a computer automatically. A website displays the data in real time and allows monitoring of the experiment. Upon completion, statistical values are calculated automatically to accelerate the evaluation of the gathered data. Codes and technical drawings in this present methodology publication are open source and can be used by the scientific community to establish similar systems.

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“…Of previously published studies similar to our one 12 , 13 , 15 , 17 , 18 , none seem to employ automation like we do, as they are “one-off” experiments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The measuring aerosol spreading during countermeasures (MASC) study presents an automated system to investigate face mask efficacy and other aerosol countermeasures in varying environments

Schreiber

Brüggmann

Braun

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“… 60 Similarly, a CDC study in Arkansas found the incidence of COVID‐19 in schools to be 23% lower in schools requiring masks compared to those in which masks were optional, 61 and an analysis of the staggered lifting of mask mandates in Massachusetts schools found that the lifting of universal mask requirements was associated with an additional 44.9 COVID‐19 cases per 1000 students and staff. 62 Other studies have used computational fate, transport modeling, and mannequin computational fluid dynamic simulations to evaluate the efficacy of mask‐wearing in classroom settings, 63 , 64 and highlighted the importance of other environmental interventions (e.g., ventilation and barriers) in reducing the spread of respiratory viruses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of activity and face masks on exhaled particles in children

Moschovis

Lombay

Rooney

et al. 2023

Pediatric Investigation

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Importance: Despite the high burden of respiratory infections among children, the production of exhaled particles during common activities and the efficacy of face masks in children have not been sufficiently studied. Objective: To determine the effect of type of activity and mask usage on exhaled particle production in children. Methods: Healthy children were asked to perform activities that ranged in intensity (breathing quietly, speaking, singing, coughing, and sneezing) while wearing no mask, a cloth mask, or a surgical mask. The concentration and size of exhaled particles were assessed during each activity. Results: Twenty-three children were enrolled in the study. Average exhaled particle concentration increased by intensity of activity, with the lowest particle concentration during tidal breathing (1.285 particles/cm 3 [95% CI 0.943, 1.627]) and highest particle concentration during sneezing (5.183 particles/cm 3 [95% CI 1.911, 8.455]). High-intensity activities were associated with an increase primarily in the respirable size (≤ 5 µm) particle fraction. Surgical and cloth masks were associated with lower average particle concentration compared to no mask (P = 0.026 for sneezing). Surgical masks outperformed cloth masks across all activities, especially within the respirable size fraction. In a multivariable linear regression model, we observed significant effect modification of activity by age and by mask type. Interpretation: Similar to adults, children produce exhaled particles that vary in size and concentration across a range of activities. Production of respirable size fraction particles (≤ 5 µm), the dominant mode of transmission of many respiratory viruses, increases significantly with coughing and sneezing and is most effectively reduced by wearing surgical face masks.

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“…In response to COVID-19, physical barriers have become common interventions to reduce the risk of cross-infection. In classroom settings, the efficacy of using partitions to protect students has been demonstrated both numerically [361] and experimentally [362]. Ren et al [363] noted that the protective effect of physical barriers diminishes when a person is positioned far from the air exhaust (more than 4 m).…”

Section: Dissemination In the Same Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Engineering Controls for Indoor Air Quality: A Systems Design Perspective

2023

Sustainability

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This paper aims to review the engineering controls for indoor air quality (IAQ) from a systems design perspective. As a result of the review, we classify the literature content into three categories: (1) indoor air treatments, (2) dissemination control strategies, and (3) information technology. Indoor air treatments can be generally interpreted as the “cleaning” aspect, which covers ventilation and contaminant removal techniques. Dissemination control focuses on how contaminants generated in an indoor space can be transmitted, where four types of dissemination are classified. The category of information technology discusses IAQ sensors for monitoring, as well as the applications of the Internet of Things and IAQ data. Then, we further analyze the reviewed engineering controls by performing systems and functional analysis. Along with a discussion of IAQ functions, we suggest some systems design techniques, such as functional decoupling and design for flexibility/resilience, which are expected to promote more systems thinking in designing IAQ solutions.

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Partition walls as effective protection from bio-aerosols in classrooms – an experimental investigation

Cited by 7 publications

References 13 publications

The measuring aerosol spreading during countermeasures (MASC) study presents an automated system to investigate face mask efficacy and other aerosol countermeasures in varying environments

The measuring aerosol spreading during countermeasures (MASC) study presents an automated system to investigate face mask efficacy and other aerosol countermeasures in varying environments

The effect of activity and face masks on exhaled particles in children

Review of Engineering Controls for Indoor Air Quality: A Systems Design Perspective

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