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 Scientists at the University of Tokyo built a secure chamber with
mannequin heads facing each other. One head, fitted with a nebulizer,
simulated coughing and expelled actual coronavirus particles. The
other mimicked natural breathing, with a collection chamber for
viruses coming through the airway.
A cotton mask reduced viral uptake by the receiver head by up to 40%
compared to no mask. An N95 mask, used by medical professionals,
blocked up to 90%. However, even when the N95 was fitted to the face
with tape, some virus particles still sneaked in.
When a mask was attached to the coughing head, cotton and surgical
masks blocked more than 50% of the virus transmission.
"There was a synergistic effect when both the virus receiver and
virus spreader wore masks," the researchers wrote in a study
published on Wednesday.
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There has been a growing consensus among health experts that the COVID-19 virus
can be spread through the air. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) revised its guidance this month to say the pathogen can linger
in the air for hours.
A separate team of Japanese researchers used supercomputer simulations to show
that humidity can have a significant effect on the airborne dispersion of virus
particles.
(Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
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