Comparing aerosol concentrations and particle size distributions generated by singing, speaking and breathing
File(s)
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented shutdown in social and economic activity, with the cultural sector particularly severely affected. Restrictions on musical performances have arisen from a perception that there is a significantly higher risk of aerosol production from singing than speaking, based upon high-profile examples of clusters of COVID-19 following choral rehearsals. However, comparing aerosol generation from different types of vocalization, including singing, across a range of volumes is a rapidly evolving area of research. Here, we measured aerosols from singing, speaking and breathing from a large cohort of 25 professional singers in a range of musical genres in a zero-background environment, allowing unequivocal attribution of aerosol production to specific vocalizations. We do not assess the relative volumes at which people speak and sing. However, both showed steep increases in mass concentration with increase in loudness (spanning a factor of 20–30 across the dynamic range measured, p < 0.001). At the quietest volume (50 to 60 dBA), neither singing (p = 0.19) nor speaking (p = 0.20) were significantly different to breathing. At the loudest volume (90 to 100 dBA), a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) was observed between singing and speaking, but with singing only generating a factor of between 1.5 and 3.4 more aerosol mass. Guidelines for musical performances should be based on the loudness and duration of the vocalization, the number of participants and the environment in which the activity occurs, rather than the type of vocalization. Mitigations such as the use of amplification and increased attention to ventilation should be employed where practicable.
Date Issued
2021-02-26
Date Acceptance
2021-01-25
Citation
Aerosol Science and Technology, 2021, 55 (6), pp.681-691
ISSN
0278-6826
Publisher
Taylor and Francis
Start Page
681
End Page
691
Journal / Book Title
Aerosol Science and Technology
Volume
55
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
©2021 American Association for Aerosol Research. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Aerosol Science and Technology on 26 February 2021, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2021.1883544
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000622208200001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Physical Sciences
Engineering, Chemical
Engineering, Mechanical
Environmental Sciences
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Engineering
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Tiina Reponen
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2021-02-26