Vuvuzels can contribute to the transmission of infectious diseases
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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British researchers concluded that vuvuzels can contribute to the transmission of infectious diseases. This in combination with a high level of noise pollution makes the organizers of the 2012 Olympics in London think about banning vuvuzel at competitions.
Survey of spectators of the World Cup in South Africa earlier showed that the massive use of these tools can damage the eardrums of others. Scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have discovered yet another potential danger associated with their use.
Using a laser detector, the researchers studied the properties of the aerosol released through the vuvuzels, into which eight volunteers blew. It turned out that in the liter of air leaving the airways through the vuvuzel, an average of 658 thousand aerosol particles that can contain pathogens. The average rate of arrival of these particles in the atmosphere was four million per second.
For comparison, the same volunteers, when shouting, allocated an average of 3.7 thousand aerosol particles in a liter of air at a rate of about seven thousand particles per second. Consequently, fans blowing into a vuvuzel, represent a much higher risk for those around them than just screaming.
However, the study's chief executive, Ruth McNerney, noted that the introduction of "vouvuzel use etiquette" would be more appropriate than their prohibition. "Just as with coughing and sneezing, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the transmission of diseases, and people with infections are strongly advised not to blow into vuvuzel near other people," she explained.