Echoes Through Time: The Historical Origins of the Droplet Dogma and its Role in the Misidentification of Airborne Respiratory Infection Transmission

Jiménez, José Luis López; Marr, Linsey C.; Randall, Katherine; Ewing, E. Thomas; Tüfekçi, Zeynep; Greenhalgh, Trisha; Milton, Donald K.; Tellier, Raymond; Tang, Julian W.; Li, Yuguo; Morawska, Lidia; Mesiano‐Crookston, Jonathan; Fisman, David N.; Hegarty, Orla; Dancer, Stephanie J.; Bluyssen, Philomena M.; Buonanno, Giorgio; Loomans, Mglc Marcel; Bahnfleth, William P.; Yao, Maosheng; Sekhar, Chandra; Wargocki, Paweł; Melikov, Arsen Krikor; Prather, Kimberly A.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3904176

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…But in most western countries the aerosol narrative initially fell on deaf policy ears. By July 2020, aerosol scientists were alarmed that official advice was based on oversimplistic and incorrect models of transmission (which had perpetuated for decades in the infection control literature 37 ) and wrote an open letter to WHO offering to help. 5 "Covid is 'situationally' airborne" From the outset, WHO's guidance on protecting healthcare workers from covid-19 recommended a standard level of protection for most activities but a higher level for "aerosol generating" ones, 38 reflecting a long established (but flawed) medical research tradition.…”

Section: Competing Narratives Around Transmissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How covid-19 spreads: narratives, counter narratives, and social dramas

Greenhalgh

Özbilgin

Tomlinson

2022

BMJ

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Section: Competing Narratives Around Transmissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How covid-19 spreads: narratives, counter narratives, and social dramas

Greenhalgh

Özbilgin

Tomlinson

2022

BMJ

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“…2 , 3 The small size (aerodynamic diameters <100 μm) enables virus-laden aerosols to suspend in the air for a long duration. 4 SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been detected in aerosols sampled from two hospitals in Wuhan, China during the outbreak of COVID-19. 5 Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 possesses a half-life of 1.1 h in aerosols based on a lab study, which shows the persistence and potential infectivity of coronaviruses within aerosols.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The global COVID-19 pandemic has raised serious public health concerns and economic losses since late 2019 . Besides transmission pathways through respiratory droplets, direct contact with an infected person, and indirect contact via fomites, mounting evidence has suggested that the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the viral pathogen causing COVID-19, is responsible for the fast and wide spread of the infectious disease. , The small size (aerodynamic diameters <100 μm) enables virus-laden aerosols to suspend in the air for a long duration . SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been detected in aerosols sampled from two hospitals in Wuhan, China during the outbreak of COVID-19 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes for Controlling Airborne Viruses: Present Status, Standardization of Aerosol Filtration Tests, and Future Development

et al. 2022

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The global COVID-19 pandemic has raised great public concern about the airborne transmission of viral pathogens. Virus-laden aerosols with small size could be suspended in the air for a long duration and remain infectious. Among a series of measures implemented to mitigate the airborne spread of infectious diseases, filtration by face masks, respirators, and air filters is a potent nonpharmacologic intervention. Compared with conventional air filtration media, nanofibrous membranes fabricated via electrospinning are promising candidates for controlling airborne viruses due to their desired characteristics, i.e., a reduced pore size (submicrometers to several micrometers), a larger specific surface area and porosity, and retained surface and volume charges. So far, a wide variety of electrospun nanofibrous membranes have been developed for aerosol filtration, and they have shown excellent filtration performance. However, current studies using electrospinning for controlling airborne viruses vary significantly in the practice of aerosol filtration tests, including setup configurations and operations. The discrepancy among various studies makes it difficult, if not impossible, to compare filtration performance. Therefore, there is a pressing need to establish a standardized protocol for evaluating the electrospun nanofibrous membranes’ performance for removing viral aerosols. In this perspective, we first reviewed the properties and performance of diverse filter media, including electrospun nanofibrous membranes, for removing viral aerosols. Next, aerosol filtration protocols for electrospun nanofibrous membranes were discussed with respect to the aerosol generation, filtration, collection, and detection. Thereafter, standardizing the aerosol filtration test system for electrospun nanofibrous membranes was proposed. In the end, the future advancement of electrospun nanofibrous membranes for enhanced air filtration was discussed. This perspective provides a comprehensive understanding of status and challenges of electrospinning for air filtration, and it sheds light on future nanomaterial and protocol development for controlling airborne viruses, preventing the spread of infectious diseases, and beyond.

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“…Air is literally nebulous. Just as cleaning was the Cinderella of infection control during the past decade or so (and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus sorted that out), we must now confront the neglected, but substantive, role of air in transmitting infection 14. It is fair to say that air could be the final medium to define and standardise within the infection control itinerary 15…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Those that we have are variable or are applied inconsistently. We have established public health strategies for foods and water and even pollution, but air quality inside most public venues in our communities resembles nothing more than miasmic uncertainty 1415…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%