To illustrate the risks of Covid-19 aerosol contamination, Spanish television RTVE organized a meal around what could be a restaurant table.
Everyone takes off their mask to eat and the camera sensors record in red the volutes of air exhaled by the couple.
The military use the same type of camera to monitor possible gas leaks.
Virologist Antonio Alcami explains that traces of Covid-19 can persist in droplets smaller than a micron that remain in the air in suspension.
Antonio Alcamí, virologist: “Droplets of 100 microns and larger fall quickly and contaminate surfaces. Droplets smaller than 100 microns are aerosolized and can stay in the air longer.”
The infrared camera shows that the containment of an elevator car increases the risk of contamination.
The masks do not prevent the three passengers from rejecting droplets that may remain in suspension for a long time in the cabin.
Microbiologist Sergio Marco advises never to remove his mask.
Sergio Marcos, microbiologist: “Everyone must wear their mask at all times, even alone, because in an enclosed space, if I remove my mask, the particles that I reject remain in the air.”
Aerosols behave like cigarette smoke: the mask prevents the cloud of particles from being exhaled in the direction of its opposite.
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