Engineering Strategies for Airborne Diseases

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AIRBORNE DISEASES AND COVID -19

• Large droplets (around 100 m) released from an infected person will not move further than 2 meters (6.5 feet).

• “Droplet nuclei” is less than 5 m in diameter and small enough to be transported by air motion, including HVAC systems.

• It is known that the main routes of Covid-19 transmission are through droplets and physical contact.

• It has not been confirmed if the virus transmits through small airborne particles and aerosols. However there is a widely

publicized case study of a restaurant where the HVAC system is in question.* Additionally, studies on the aerodynamic analysis of the virus suggest that Sars-CoV-2 can be airborne and aerosol concentration is relatively higher in restrooms.**

* https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/7/20-0764_article ** https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2271-3