DCHAS-L Discussion List Archive

From: Monona Rossol
Re: musician's union study proposal
Reply-To: Monona Rossol

There are some funds and a need for musicians and singers to have information that will guide reopening and performance plans. The specific objectives of this project are to:

1. Establish the magnitude and variability of aerosol release rates, as a function of particle size, from: regular breathing, heavy breathing, vocalizing across a range of volume and pitch during singing and speaking.

2. Determine the efficacy of active control techniques to prevent human aerosol release (in relation to Objective 1) to include: wearing surgical masks, wearing N95-certified respirators, wearing face shields.

3. Establish the magnitude and variability of aerosol release rates, as a function of particle size, from wind instruments, including flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, recorder, trumpet, trombone, tuba, euphonium, horn.

4. Determine the efficacy of active control techniques to prevent human aerosol release, to include: adaptation of high-efficiency particulate-air (HEPA) filtering technologies into the mouthpiece, adaptation of external shielding about the air outlets of the instrument. (I am personally skeptical about this objective)

5. Model the efficacy of passive control techniques to prevent exposure to infectious aerosol, to include: social distancing, room ventilation, and human isolation.

I'm assuming we need biomedical engineers, industrial hygienists to do air monitoring for particulates in the range of those known to be associated with transmission of the virus, and other experts. Anyone interested in such a project or who has suggestions for personnel, please contact:

Monona Rossol
Safety Consultant: Local 802, AF of M
actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**cs.com

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