Emission rates, size distributions, and generation mechanism of oral respiratory droplets

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has brought renewed attention to respiratory aerosol and droplet generation. While many studies have robustly quantified aerosol (<10 mu m diameter) number and mass exhalation rates, fewer studies have explored larger droplet generation. This study quantifies respiratory droplets (>20 mu m diameter) generated by a cohort of 76 adults and children using a water-sensitive paper droplet deposition approach. Unvoiced and voiced activities spanning different levels of loudness, different lengths of sustained phonation, and a specific manner of articulation in isolation were investigated. We find that oral articulation drives >20 mu m droplet generation, with breathing generating virtually no droplets and speaking and singing generating on the order of 250 droplets min(-1). Lip trilling, which requires extensive oral articulation, generated the most droplets, whereas shouting Hey, which requires minimal oral articulation, generated relatively few droplets. Droplet size distributions were all broadly consistent, and no significant differences between the children and adult cohorts were identified. By comparing the aerosol and droplet emissions for the same participants, the full size distribution of respiratory aerosol (0.5-1000 mu m) is reported. Although <10 mu m aerosol dominates the number concentration, >20 mu m droplets dominate the mass concentration. Accurate quantification of aerosol concentrations in the 10-70 mu m size range remains very challenging; more robust aerosol analysis approaches are needed to characterize this size range.

Automated summary

This study quantifies the generation of respiratory droplets (>20 μm) by a cohort of 76 adults and children using a water-sensitive paper droplet deposition approach. The study finds that oral articulation drives the production of droplets larger than 20 μm, while breathing generates virtually no droplets. The study also compares aerosol and droplet emissions for the same participants and reports the full size distribution of respiratory aerosols (0.5-1000 μm).