New research: Playing wind instruments can spread respiratory particles

They used a cutting-edge aerosol measurement chamber and recruited volunteers to perform in the chamber while aerosol emissions from themselves — or their instruments — were analysed. For the instruments study, they had 81 volunteer performers who played wind instruments including the bassoon, clarinet, French horn, oboe, piccolo, saxophone, trombone, trumpet and tuba.

Brass instruments, on average, produced 191 per cent more aerosols than woodwinds, the release said. Being male was associated with a 70 per cent increase in emissions from instrument-playing, probably due to lung size and capacity, the researchers think. Louder playing of brass instruments was associated with higher particle counts, but louder playing of woodwinds didn’t increase emissions.

The researchers also took measurements with performers using bell covers in an attempt to mitigate the particle spread, which seemed to work. The use of bell covers reduced emissions from trombone, tuba and trumpet players, with average reductions of 53-73 per cent, but not for oboe or clarinet.

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Volckens likened bell covers to blue surgical masks for instruments — good, but not great in terms of limiting spread. “The data suggest that masks and bell covers cut down half to 75 per cent of particles coming out of the mouth or instrument. And the reason blue surgical masks or bell covers don’t work better is that they’re just not a tight fit. These devices don’t achieve an N95 level of protection,” the release quoted him as saying. It quoted him as saying that “if we could make N95s for instruments”, it would likely help reduce emissions from brass instruments, but not from woodwinds, because those instruments have too many escape holes before the bell. A single-exit instrument like a trumpet is easier to control with protective measures.

According to the release, the study reconfirms that at the start of the pandemic, shutting down performing arts in the name of safety likely saved lives.

Source: Colorado State University