Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33244217›Full record

ArticlePhysics of fluids (Woodbury, N.Y. : 1994)2020

Experimental visualization of sneezing and efficacy of face masks and shields.

Venugopal Arumuru, Jangyadatta Pasa, Sidhartha Sankar Samantaray

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Physics of fluids (Woodbury, N.Y. : 1994), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  14. How coronavirus survives for hours in aerosols.Physics of fluids (Woodbury, N.Y. : 1994) · 2021
    Article
  15. Article
  16. Double masking protection vs. comfort-A quantitative assessment.Physics of fluids (Woodbury, N.Y. : 1994) · 2021
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Designing antiviral surfaces to suppress the spread of COVID-19.Physics of fluids (Woodbury, N.Y. : 1994) · 2021
    Article
  20. Role of pulsatility on particle dispersion in expiratory flows.Physics of fluids (Woodbury, N.Y. : 1994) · 2021
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Venugopal ArumuruApplied Fluids Group, School of Mechanical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar 752050, India.ORCID 0000-0001-5680-8613
Jangyadatta PasaApplied Fluids Group, School of Mechanical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar 752050, India.
Sidhartha Sankar SamantarayApplied Fluids Group, School of Mechanical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar 752050, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In the present work, we propose and demonstrate a simple experimental visualization to simulate sneezing by maintaining dynamic similarity to actual sneezing. A pulsed jet with Reynolds number Re = 30 000 is created using compressed air and a solenoid valve. Tracer particles are introduced in the flow to capture the emulated turbulent jet formed due to a sneeze. The visualization is accomplished using a camera and laser illumination. It is observed that a typical sneeze can travel up to 25 ft in ∼22 s in a quiescent environment. This highlights that the present widely accepted safe distance of 6 ft is highly underestimated, especially under the act of a sneeze. Our study demonstrates that a three-layer homemade mask is just adequate to impede the penetration of fine-sized particles, which may cause the spreading of the infectious pathogen responsible for COVID-19. However, a surgical mask cannot block the sneeze, and the sneeze particle can travel up to 2.5 ft. We strongly recommend using at least a three-layer homemade mask with a social distancing of 6 ft to combat the transmission of COVID-19 virus. In offices, we recommend the use of face masks and shields to prevent the spreading of droplets carrying the infectious pathogen. Interestingly, an N-95 mask blocks the sneeze in the forward direction; however, the leakage from the sides and top spreads the sneeze in the backward direction up to 2 ft. We strongly recommend using the elbow or hands to prevent droplet leakage even after wearing a mask during sneezing and coughing.

Identifiers

PMID33244217
PMCPMC7684680

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.