RAPID: Coronavirus: Understanding aerosol transmission and potential control measures in indoor environments

RAPID：冠状病毒：了解室内环境中的气溶胶传播和潜在的控制措施

• 批准号: 2028713
• 负责人: Donghyun Rim
• 金额: $ 10.88万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-05-15 至 2022-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2028713&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Coronavirus; Understanding; aerosol; transmission

COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic caused by the Coronovirus SARS-CoV2. COVID-19 is reported to be transmitted through direct surface exposure and through close personal contact within a short distance. Recent studies demonstrate that the virus can survive in small airborne particles (less than 5 micrometers) for hours and accumulate indoors. This result suggests a strong possibility for airborne transmission of COVID-19 in occupied spaces. However, there is a present lack of science-based information on how the virus-laden particles disperse in indoor environments. This RAPID proposal responds to the urgent need to better understand the airborne transmission and potential SARS-CoV2 control measures in indoor environments. The goal of this project is to investigate the transport mechanisms of the virus particle transport around the human body and reveal how the concentrations of virus particles are affected by human coughing and breathing, as well as ventilation rates and indoor airflow patterns. This information will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of control measures such as ventilation, filtration, and zone partitioning on aerosol transmission in densely occupied environments. Results will be used to help protect vulnerable population groups in clinical settings and senior living facilities. Successful completion of this research will more broadly inform medical health professionals, scientists, engineers, and policymakers to make decisions regarding the types of ventilation strategies and personal protective equipment that can be used to prevent aerosol transmission indoors.The COVID-19 pandemic is a health emergency of global scale. Emerging science suggests a high potential for airborne exposure to SARS-CoV2 (the virus responsible for COVID-19) as a significant exposure pathway. However, there are major gaps in our understanding that prevent efficient use of control strategies for indoor environments. The overall objectives of this research project are to address this knowledge gap by: (1) developing a mechanistic understanding of SARS-CoV2 aerosol transport in indoor environments due to coughing, talking, normal breathing, and breathing with a mask under various ventilation rates and air mixing conditions; (2) assessing airborne infection risk using inhalation intake of SARS-CoV2 aerosols released from an infector assuming steady-state, well-mixed air conditions; and (3) evaluating the effectiveness of ventilation, filtration, and zone partitioning for controlling aerosol transmission in densely occupied environments. This will be achieved using a mathematical infection risk model coupled with computational fluid dynamics simulations of aerosol transport to provide new information critical to our understanding of virus aerosol transport and associated airborne infection risk in indoor environments. The analysis will fill a critical information gap in our understanding of the transport mechanisms of infectious aerosols in the human breathing zone. Key parameters to be assessed include the emission mode of the infector (i.e. coughing, talking, breathing); the infectious aerosol mass and diameter; and the ventilation strategy and indoor air mixing rate. Parametric analysis of the effectiveness of infection control measures will inform guidelines for building system design and operations for the protection of human health.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

新冠肺炎是由冠状病毒SARS-CoV2引起的世界性大流行。据报道，新冠肺炎通过直接表面接触和近距离个人接触传播。最近的研究表明，病毒可以在空气中的小颗粒(小于5微米)中存活数小时，并在室内积累。这一结果表明新冠肺炎在被占领的空间通过空气传播的可能性很大。然而，目前缺乏关于携带病毒的颗粒如何在室内环境中扩散的科学信息。这一快速建议回应了更好地了解空气传播和室内环境中潜在的SARS-CoV2控制措施的迫切需要。该项目的目标是研究病毒颗粒在人体内的传输机制，揭示人类咳嗽和呼吸以及通风率和室内气流模式对病毒颗粒浓度的影响。这些信息将用于评估通风、过滤和分区隔断等控制措施在人员密集环境中对气溶胶传播的有效性。结果将用于帮助保护临床环境和老年生活设施中的弱势群体。这项研究的成功完成将更广泛地为医疗卫生专业人员、科学家、工程师和政策制定者提供信息，以决定可用于防止气雾剂在室内传播的通风策略和个人防护装备的类型。新冠肺炎大流行是一场全球性的突发卫生事件。新兴科学表明，空气中接触SARS-CoV2(导致新冠肺炎的病毒)的可能性很高，是一种重要的接触途径。然而，我们在认识上存在重大差距，阻碍了室内环境控制策略的有效使用。这项研究项目的总体目标是通过以下方式解决这一知识差距：(1)对在不同通风率和空气混合条件下因咳嗽、说话、正常呼吸和戴面罩呼吸而导致的室内环境中SARS-CoV2气溶胶的传输有一个机械性的了解；(2)通过吸入假定处于稳定状态、混合良好的空气条件下的感染者释放的SARS-CoV2气雾剂来评估空气传播风险；以及(3)评估通风、过滤和分区在密集环境中控制气溶胶传播的有效性。这将使用数学感染风险模型和气溶胶传输的计算流体动力学模拟来实现，以提供对我们理解室内环境中的病毒气溶胶传输和相关的空气传播感染风险至关重要的新信息。这项分析将填补我们在理解传染性气溶胶在人类呼吸区的传输机制方面的一个关键信息空白。需要评估的主要参数包括感染者的排放模式(即咳嗽、说话、呼吸)；传染性气雾剂的质量和直径；以及通风策略和室内空气混合率。对感染控制措施有效性的参数分析将为保护人类健康的建筑系统设计和操作提供指导方针。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。