Infection Risk Assessment based on the amount of exposure to cough droplet and droplet nuclei

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K15154
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 23020:Architectural environment and building equipment-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University (2020-2021); Waseda University (2019)
• Principal Investigator: Ogata Masayuki 東京都立大学, 都市環境学部, 助教 (90778002)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 感染対策 / 飛沫 / 飛沫核 / エアロゾル粒子 / 感染リスク評価

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The global epidemic of COVID-19 has not yet been contained, and there is a continuing need to strengthen and thoroughly implement infection prevention measures, making knowledge of effective and sustainable infection control methods increasingly important. In this study, we investigated the transmission of COVID-19 by aerosol transmission, which has been discussed as a mode of transmission, in addition to droplet transmission, airborne transmission, and contact transmission, which have been conventionally defined, and organized effective infection control measures. In addition, the influence of various indoor environmental conditions on the exposure to droplets and aerosol particles due to simulated coughing was clarified through experiments using a simulated cough generator.

Free Research Field

建築環境学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

従来の分類方法に整合しない感染症の伝播様式について、感染を引き起こすエアロゾル粒子への曝露様式に基づいて適切な位置付けを行うことで、包括的な曝露リスクの評価を可能とし、感染対策の立案および効果の改善が行えると考えられる。本研究により得られた成果は、建築物環境における感染症流行時の感染対策および今後の建築・建築設備デザインガイドラインを検討するために活用できる。