Study finds the average human sneeze can contaminate a room in minutes
MOBILE, Ala. - How powerful is your sneeze?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers say the average human sneeze expels a high-velocity cloud that can contaminate a room in minutes.
The study analyzed videos of two healthy people sneezing about fifty times over several days.
Researchers discovered how sneeze droplets are formed within what they called a "high-propulsion sneeze cloud."
It's well known that sneezes can spread infectious diseases because viruses suspended in sneeze droplets can be inhaled by others or deposited on surfaces and later picked up as people touch them.
But it wasn't clear how far sneeze droplets can spread, or why some people are more likely to spread illness through sneezes than others.
In a prior study, the M.I.T. team found that within a few minutes sneeze droplets can cover an area the size of a room and reach ventilation ducts at ceiling height.
In their latest new study, they discovered how sneeze droplets are formed within what they called a "high-propulsion sneeze cloud."
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society in Mobile, Alabama.