By Alex Korab via Yahoo!Life
There’s been a lot of talk about how the coronavirus spreads, and a new study shows that one melodious way may also be the most deadly: singing. “Compared to talking, singing often involves continuous voicing, higher sound pressure, higher frequencies, deeper breaths, higher peak airflows and more articulated consonants,” report authors of the study. “All these factors are likely to increase exhaled emissions.” Read on, and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had Coronavirus.
Even a Song Like ‘Happy Birthday’ May Be Dangerous
“The study shows that singing—particularly loud and consonant-rich singing—spreads a lot of aerosol particles and droplets into the surrounding air,” concludes Medical Xpress. “Some droplets are so large that they only move a few decimetres from the mouth before they fall, whereas others are smaller and may continue to hover for minutes. In particular, the enunciation of consonants releases very large droplets and the letters B and P stand out as the biggest aerosol spreaders,” says Malin Alsved, doctoral student of Aerosol Technology at Lund University of Sweden and co-author of the study.
“To understand how many virus particles are emitted when we sing, researchers had 12 healthy singers and two people with Covid-19 sing into a funnel,” adds the Daily Mail. “The study shows that singing—particularly loud and consonant-rich singing found in songs like Happy Birthday—spreads a lot of droplets into the surrounding air.”
Protective Measures Must be Taken
The news comes after a summer in which people have died after singing. “Sixty singers in the Skagit Valley Chorale showed up to a two-and-a-half-hour rehearsal. Fifty-three of them became sick with the coronavirus, and two people died,” reports NPR about a Washington state group. Warned the CDC in May: “SARS-CoV-2 [COVID-19] might be highly transmissible in certain settings, including group singing events.”
“There are many reports about the spreading of COVID-19 in connection with choirs singing,” the Swedish authors write. “Therefore, different restrictions have been introduced all over the world to make singing safer.” These include moving church services outside or canceling choirs altogether, and wearing face masks. Read more from Yahoo!Life.
