Droplets from coughs and sneezes travel farther than you think.

Hello ATS,

Over the past few weeks, there has been quite the threads on aerosolizing from coughs and sneezes.

So, for the pure science aspect of it, I found this article that i read back when it was published for your consumption, and thoughts.

I don't want this to turn into an Ebola debate, but consider the information contained here within.

Droplets that are 100 micrometers in diameter were found to travel five times farther than past estimates, while droplets 10 micrometers in diameter were found to travel 200 times farther. In addition, the team found that droplets less that 50 micrometers in size are often able to stay airborne long enough to enter ceiling ventilation units.

Medical News Today (Dated April 10th 2014) (Source)

If the fluids from our coughs and sneezes can travel and remain suspended much longer, and much further then what we orginally believed possible, it would explain a great many things.

Thoughts, ATS?

a reply to: Cygnis

combined with the earlier ebola thread about how long ebola can live on plastic haha...just spread already!

About 3,000 droplets are expelled in a single cough, and some of them fly out of the mouth at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. Sneezing is even worse. It starts at the back of the throat and produces even more droplets — as many as 40,000 — some of which rocket out at speeds greater than 200 miles per hour

www.livescience.com...

Been posting this for the past weeks. General medical knowledge isn't very difficult to understand but for some reason the keyboard warriors do no think Ebola is an issue even though the entire world is connected.

Also, been posting that a virus can survive on a plastic surface for 24-72 hours. Just because very few people are posting this, does not mean it isn't factual.

Good to see more threads on this though.

The CDC agrees.

CDC Now Claims Ebola is "Transmittable" by Coughing - Sneezing ??

a reply to: johngrissom
I wonder if this is true

During tests, the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) found that the Zaire strain will live on samples stored on glass at low temperatures for as long as 50 days

www.dailymail.co.uk... ml

Mythbusters did an episode, sneezes travel far:

Here is the link:

Slow Motion Sneezes

The above video only shows sneezes but IIRC they also tested coughing. I will try to find the full episode, but it was very interesting.

ETA: I guess I was wrong about coughs, I can't find the full episode online, but the sneezing part here is another video of how far the "droplets" travel:

a reply to: Cygnis

You think thats nasty, check out the way toilet water particles spread if you flush with the lid up.

Ebola can stay alive on surfaces for very long time, but its noticed that in the air it dies very quickly, it cannot travel long distances. So, when someone sneezes on other side of room, you will not get Ebola, only when someone sneezes right front of you. The virus is very fragile in air, even if you get some of virus, it may be too damaged to start infection. If it would survive in air, there would be more cases in 1st World countries, but so far only health care workers have caught it. I hope this fearmongering stops soon, its getting at ridiculous levels. Ebola cannot start pandemic, if it could, it would have started already.

originally posted by: tadaman
a reply to: Cygnis

You think thats nasty, check out the way toilet water particles spread if you flush with the lid up.

I remember reading that the average toothbrush is literally covered in urine and feces from when the flush of a toilet aerosols the contents.

That could explain why the toothpaste tastes like [SNIP].

Again I want to add that at the present time more Americans have married Kim Kardassian than have died from Ebola.

a reply to: Thebel
CDC Says Ebola Droplets Can Only Travel 3 Feet … But MIT Research Shows Sneezes Can Travel Up to 20 feet

CDC Now Says Ebola Droplets Can Spread Six Feet, Not Three

originally posted by: Thebel
Ebola can stay alive on surfaces for very long time, but its noticed that in the air it dies very quickly, it cannot travel long distances. So, when someone sneezes on other side of room, you will not get Ebola, only when someone sneezes right front of you. The virus is very fragile in air, even if you get some of virus, it may be too damaged to start infection. If it would survive in air, there would be more cases in 1st World countries, but so far only health care workers have caught it. I hope this fearmongering stops soon, its getting at ridiculous levels. Ebola cannot start pandemic, if it could, it would have started already.

Exactly - we would have 10 million or more sick right now if it were that easy to get it from a cough or sneeze.