It is now recognized that normal breathing and speech atomise droplets also ( 9, 27вЂ“ 29). Liquid or solid particles 100 Ојm are atomised from saliva and from fluids further down the respiratory tract ( 25, 26). Research areas that urgently need further experimentation include the basis for variation in droplet size distribution and viral load, including droplets emitted by вЂњsuperspreaderвЂќ individuals the evolution of droplet sizes after emission, their interaction with pollutant aerosols and their dispersal by turbulence, which gives a different basis for social distancing. The efficiency of masks for blocking aerosol transmission depends strongly on how well they fit. There are also opportunities to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in aerosol form with sunlight or UV lamps. The operation of ventilation systems in public buildings and transportation can create infection hazards via aerosols, but provides opportunities for reducing the risk of transmission in ways as simple as switching from recirculated to outside air. Aerosol particles containing SARS-CoV-2 can also coalesce with pollution particulates, and infection rates correlate with pollution. Evaporation and fragmentation reduce the size of the droplets, whereas coalescence increases the mean droplet size. The proportion of the droplet size distribution within the aerosol range depends on the sites of origin within the respiratory tract and on whether the distribution is presented on a number or volume basis.

SARS-CoV-2 is emitted in aerosol form during normal breathing by both asymptomatic and symptomatic people, remaining viable with a half-life of up to about an hour during which air movement can carry it considerable distances, although it simultaneously disperses.

This minireview outlines the underlying aerosol science, making links to aerosol research in other disciplines. School of Chemistry, Glasgow University, Glasgow, United KingdomД®vidence has emerged that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can be transmitted airborne in aerosol particles as well as in larger droplets or by surface deposits.

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