Dimer LLC, a leader in the development of safe and sustainable technologies for surface disinfection on airplanes, public transportation, healthcare, schools, hotels, sports, and entertainment venues has conducted a study in its Advanced Projects Lab to demonstrate the significance of wearing a mask in the classroom.
The study used a fluorescing powder to represent germs under blacklights with high-speed videography to demonstrate what happens when a student coughs with, and without a mask. The masked cough significantly reduced the volume of simulated germs.
Without a mask, the contents of the cough travelled two rows forward and out to the sides. A mask on the cough-model markedly reduced the volume and the trajectory of the "virus plume".
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, schools have mostly been closed and children, teachers and parents have worked hard to manage an awkward learning situation from home and by computer. Now, with the new school year upon us, the CDC has provided guidelines including mask-wearing inside at school. Updated guidelines have caused controversy in communities from coast to coast.
Dr. Arthur Kreitenberg, Chief Innovation & Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Dimer said: "We advocate for objective and informed decision making and this demonstrative study affirms that mask-wearing reduces the spread of infectious germs like COVID-19. We hope that schools and parents will take a look at the demonstration we conducted and be more informed."
The American Lung Association estimates a cough speed at 50mph and a sneeze speed at 100mph. The simulation was set at 30 mph. The particles in the simulation are 10x larger than a virus.
Dimer, an industry leading innovator in UV disinfection has produced the GermFalcon® for aircraft disinfection as well as the UVHammer® for operating rooms, healthcare and everyplace else. Strategic partnerships include Honeywell, Medline, Brady Industries, and more. Source: Dimer