1/ Automobiles and Intake Fraction. Since cars are back in the news I thought I would retweet this model result I offered in early April 2020. I focused only on 1 micron particles & accounted for windows completely closed & cracked slightly open.

2/ Related air exchange rates were based on experimental results in literature for mid-sized sedans. Particle deposition to indoor surfaces were accounted for, as the surface to volume ratio in a 3 m3 cab is large. An important outcome was the intake fraction (IF)
3/ Here, IF is the number of particles (or virions in collective particles) inhaled by a receptor DIVIDED BY the number or particles (or virions in collective particles) emitted by an infector.
4/ Integrated over the two hour drive (in this example) the IF for all windows closed & a receptor at rest is 0.08 (8% of what comes out of the infectors respiratory system ends up in the respiratory system of the receptor). 8%! That is a very high intake factor.
5/ With additional ventilation from cracking a window open drops the IF to 0.012 (1.2%) still relatively high. Can get lower by opening more windows.
6/ An important point is that the intake fraction is not dependent on the amount emitted, and so the value is applicable to whatever the number of particles (or virions in particles) are being shed by an infector. Emission rate can be multiplied by IF to get at inhalation dose.
7/ In this analysis the IF ranges from approx 0.01 to 0.1. For a wide range of indoor spaces in buildings IF ranges from 0.0001 to 0.001. Intake fraction can be lowered w/ higher ventilation and/or better filtration (including portable HEPA filters), as well as UVGI for virions.
8/ Note that for large outdoor sources of pollution (think busy highways, power plants) with a receptor on the order of hundreds of meters to kilometers downwind the IF is typically on the order of 1 billionth to 1 trillionth.
9/ For the very special case of an inert pollutant (non-reactive and not removed by controls or surfaces) at steady-state IF = respiratory minute volume / volumetric flow of outdoor air through indoor space. IF = Qb/Qv
10/ I am working on a blog related to the use of intake fraction as a conceptual and quantitative tool for assessing indoor environments where exposure to SARS-CoV-2 may occur.
11/ Until then, I have posted some old handwritten course notes on intake fraction at https://t.co/iKuCeJKsrt

Apologies for sloppy writing. Enjoy the analogy of candles vs power plants in terms of inhalation of fine particles. Candles 👎. I know, different compositions.
12/ Also, if everyone in the vehicle wears masks the intake fraction is reduced on two fronts, less emissions from the infector and less inhalation of virus-laden particles by receptor. To be included in blog. Just do it!

More from Science

@mugecevik is an excellent scientist and a responsible professional. She likely read the paper more carefully than most. She grasped some of its strengths and weaknesses that are not apparent from a cursory glance. Below, I will mention a few points some may have missed.
1/


The paper does NOT evaluate the effect of school closures. Instead it conflates all ‘educational settings' into a single category, which includes universities.
2/

The paper primarily evaluates data from March and April 2020. The article is not particularly clear about this limitation, but the information can be found in the hefty supplementary material.
3/


The authors applied four different regression methods (some fancier than others) to the same data. The outcomes of the different regression models are correlated (enough to reach statistical significance), but they vary a lot. (heat map on the right below).
4/


The effect of individual interventions is extremely difficult to disentangle as the authors stress themselves. There is a very large number of interventions considered and the model was run on 49 countries and 26 US States (and not >200 countries).
5/
Epic thread incoming:

I'm going to answer the question so many people have been asking this week:

WHAT IS PROJECT X???

Here's the definitive thread to tell you - and show you -precisely what Project X is

Grab a drink, sit down with me and let's #TalkLiberation

<3

1/?

"Project X" is actually called "PanQuake".

Pan means "all". Quake is the huge effect our voices can have when our communications are uncensored and when we have access to brand new functionality that *enhances* our social reach, rather than diminishes it

Here's our logo:

2/?


You can follow the fledgling official PanQuake Twitter account here: @pan_quake and see our super cool new website here:
https://t.co/F7wLSeM6aK

You can find our donation page here: https://t.co/VICFnsR0RX

Keep reading this thread to find out why we created it & what it is

3/?

SPOILER ALERT: Much of the content below this point is from my personal slides & speech notes from today's launch event. That stream got totally ruined by (big) tech problems, but I'm happy to report everything is turning out wonderfully


Here are some of our most high profile & dedicated public advocates for PanQuake - many of whom were scheduled to appear at our launch. All of whom stuck around for hours, to do a prerecord of the event, which is being edited, processed & uploaded for you as I write this.

5/?

You May Also Like