Wu Xunmei, Han Mengtao, Chen Hong
School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, PR China.
Hubei Engineering and Technology Research Center of Urbanization, Wuhan, 430074, PR China.
Heliyon. 2024 Sep 16;10(18):e37967. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37967. eCollection 2024 Sep 30.
Respiratory infectious diseases, notably recurring waves of COVID-19 during autumn and winter, have significantly impacted global health and strained public health systems. Home isolation has emerged as a crucial and economical strategy to mitigate these impacts. This study investigates aerosol transmission and infection risks in home isolation environments using the Lattice Boltzmann Method with Large Eddy Simulation (LBM-LES). We focused on the impact of door operations and various natural ventilation rates on aerosol transmission and exposure risk in adjacent rooms. Our findings reveal that, without ventilation, aerosol leakage through door gaps poses a minimal infection risk to adjacent rooms, with an average probability of less than 2 × 10. However, with adequate ventilation, the infection risk for individuals in adjacent rooms for over 3 h can reach 60 %-70 %. Brief door movements have limited impact on infection risk (p ≤ 0.05, d ≤ 0.20), with aerosol leakage mainly occurring through door gaps rather than door movements. To reduce cross-infection during home isolation, we recommend avoiding prolonged stays near downwind walls facing the door. This research provides insights into aerosol dynamics in home isolation scenarios, offering theoretical guidance for designing safe isolation spaces and practical advice for healthy family members to minimize infection risk.
呼吸道传染病，尤其是秋冬季节反复出现的新冠疫情浪潮，对全球健康产生了重大影响，并给公共卫生系统带来了压力。居家隔离已成为减轻这些影响的关键且经济的策略。本研究采用大涡模拟格子玻尔兹曼方法（LBM-LES）研究居家隔离环境中的气溶胶传播和感染风险。我们重点关注门的开关操作以及不同自然通风率对相邻房间气溶胶传播和暴露风险的影响。我们的研究结果表明，在没有通风的情况下，通过门缝泄漏的气溶胶对相邻房间造成的感染风险极小，平均概率小于2×10。然而，在通风良好的情况下，相邻房间内人员超过3小时的感染风险可达60%-70%。短暂的门开关动作对感染风险的影响有限（p≤0.05，d≤0.20），气溶胶泄漏主要通过门缝而非门的开关动作发生。为减少居家隔离期间的交叉感染，我们建议避免长时间待在面向门的下风向墙壁附近。本研究深入了解了居家隔离场景中的气溶胶动态，为设计安全隔离空间提供了理论指导，并为健康家庭成员提供了将感染风险降至最低的实用建议。
