DeKalb, Ill. — Six feet of social distancing might not be far enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but wearing a mask does reduce significantly the spread of airborne particles.
That’s one conclusion of a research study that was published in the journal Building and Environment. The research team was led by Jayaveera Muthusamy of Texas A&M University and included Northern Illinois University Professor Tariq Shamim, Ph.d., chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department.
The study found that without the aid of a mask, 70% of the airborne particles expelled by a person’s cough will travel beyond 6 feet indoors. Fewer than 1% of the airborne particles traveled as far when the person was wearing a mask.
Researchers also looked at other variables that could affect how the particles travel through the air. They found that age and gender also had an impact with women contaminating the air at slightly lower rates than males of the same age. In addition, they found the particles coughed by individuals who were seated traveled farther than those who were standing.
“I hope that scientific evidence presented by our study will assist in getting wider acceptance of the effectiveness of mask-wearing in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and other contagious diseases,” Professor Shamim said.
Professor Shamim was part of a multi-institutional team that developed the mathematical and computational models to investigate the spread of airborne particles in different indoor settings. In addition to Professors Shamim and Muthusamy, the team included researchers from McGill University of Montreal, Canada, and the University of Sherbrooke, Canada.
“Learning about this virus is key to preventing the spread of the disease, and I’m incredibly proud of the work Dr. Shamim has done with the research team,” said Donald Peterson, Ph.D., dean of NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.
Media contact: Sandy Manisco
About the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
Ranked in the top undergraduate engineering programs without a doctorate by U.S. World and News Report, the college is housed in three facilities totaling nearly 150,000 square feet including 35 state-of-the-art laboratories that offer hands-on learning experiences to students from freshmen year through graduate school. CEET was established in 1985 and offers bachelor’s degree programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) in electrical engineering, engineering technology, industrial and systems engineering, and mechanical engineering. In addition, the college offers bachelor’s degrees in biomedical engineering and mechatronics engineering, plus master’s degrees and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering, engineering technology, industrial and systems engineering, and mechanical engineering.
About NIU
Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and law. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Naperville, Oregon and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 courses of study while serving a diverse and international student body.
