Quixplained: Can singing increase Covid-19 risk?

One paper, from Lund University in Sweden and published in Aerosol Research and Technology, found that:

* The louder you sing, the more particles you spread

* Consonants — particularly P, B, R, T — are bigger aerosol spreaders than vowels

The other paper, from the University of Bristol and awaiting peer review, found that:

* Singing does not produce very substantially more respiratory particles than speaking, when both are at a similar volume.

Can singing increase Covid-19 risk?

The Swedish researchers measured particles emitted by 12 healthy singers and two people with confirmed Covid-19; 7 of the 14 were professional opera singers.

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Consonants release very large droplets — and B and P stand out as the biggest aerosol spreaders.

As the two people with Covid-19 sang, the team measured the virus in the air close to them. The air samples contained no detectable amount of virus.

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