“A new study by Bavarian researchers has thrown light on” aerosol transmission by wind and brass musicians, writes Derek Scally in Thursday’s (11/26) Irish Times. “Researchers at Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) and the University of Erlangen, working with musicians from the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra … placed musicians—individually—in a darkened room, where they were asked to take a puff from an e-cigarette containing nicotine-free fluid and begin playing. Closely calibrated cameras and laser transmitters recorded what happened next…. The aerosol transmission made visible by the smoke was less dynamic than researchers expected and fell well short of two metres in front of most musicians and less than 1.5 metres at the side. While wind instruments are considered the most tricky in a pandemic, many have a design that actually traps and condenses aerosols internally. ‘The trumpet holds back almost everything, with only a very low transmission,’ said Dr. Stefan Kniesburges, one of the researchers…. The Bavarian researchers [said] the flute … sprays out aerosols close to three metres to the front and two metres to the side.” Details of the study, including the researchers’ distancing recommendations for musicians, can be found here https://idw-online.de/de/news758652.
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