3D model of the airways tested the way air -transmitted infections propagate.
Exposing through the nose causes particles to travel vertically, remaining in the air for longer, but exuding through the mouth increases the likelihood of infecting people nearby.
Spanish researchers have developed a 3D printed model of the nose and the upper human respiratory tract that simulates cough and sneezing, to study the way infections are transmitted by the air, an increasingly flagrant concern since the Covid-19 pandemic .
The study, led by researchers from the Universitat Rovira I Virgili (URV), aimed to accurately reproduce the standards of human exhalation. Given the difficulty of recruiting infected individuals for controlled studies, scientists have created a 3D model.
The model was designed to simulate the strength and direction of the air expelled during a cough or sneeze. Includes adjustable parameters to control the exhalation force, allowing the team to observe how air particles spread in real time.
Using high -speed chambers and lasers, according to the study in December in Physics of Fluids, researchers analyzed the trajectory and width of particle clouds under various conditions.
The results revealed that the expiration through the nose makes particles travel more vertically and less horizontally. Although this reduces the risk of disease transmission to nearby individuals, also makes the particles stay in the air for longerparticularly in poorly ventilated spaces, which means that, in confined areas, the risk of exposure remains high for long periods.
In contrast, the exhalation of the mouth disperses the particles in a wider horizontal range, increasing the likelihood of infecting people nearbyespecially during face to face interactions. This discovery emphasizes the importance of using masks in environments like public spaces with many people, where the propagation of respiratory droplets is more likely.
Understanding how particles behave in the air, the team expects to improve ventilation strategies in public spaces such as classrooms, hospitals and public transport systems. Ventilation optimization could significantly reduce the propagation of air -transmitted diseases, researchers explain.
Although the authors of the study recognize that factors such as temperature and moisture have yet to be exploitedtheir findings provide valuable initial information on disease propagation mechanisms.
