In this episode of Michigan Minds, Andrew Ault, Dow Corning Assistant Professor of Chemistry in the College of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts, explains how COVID-19 spreads through aerosol transmissions and talks about reducing exposure risk.
Aerosols are microscopic bits of liquid droplets or solid pieces floating around in the atmosphere that can have a massive impact on outdoor and indoor atmospheres alike. Ault was one of 239 aerosol researchers from around the world who recently signed an open letter to the World Health Organization encouraging the WHO to consider aerosol transmission more carefully than they had been.
Ault says that face shields and plexiglass barriers are not effective unless people are also wearing a face covering. A face shield might help with droplet transmission, he says, but aerosol and smaller droplets will go right around face shields.
“No one loves having a mask on their face. I don’t think anyone’s going to pretend that that’s a pleasant thing. But at the same time, it is the thing that we know is the most effective at protecting both ourselves, as well as those around us,” Ault says, adding that wearing a mask in indoor environments is the best way to protect yourself and others.
“Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation…that’s the other thing I’d harp on. If you can have a window open, have a window open. If you can increase the airflow in the room you’re in, with your heater or air conditioner or whatever, anything you can do to keep the air from being stagnant, the better it’s going to be for your health,” he says.
In the podcast, Ault also explores the challenges of planning lab courses for the hybrid fall semester.
“There’s some training that we do that simply is not going to be the same online as it would be in person. And so I know that in chemistry, a lot of thought has gone into how we can do these in a more socially distanced manner,” Ault says. “And of course, above all else is protecting both the students, the faculty, and the staff’s health, which we have to make our top priority.”
Hear more from Ault in this episode of Michigan Minds.
