Quantification of the Decrease of Droplets Expelled from the Human Respiratory Tract During Expiratory Activities When Using Masks

This study aims to assess the effectiveness of three nasal-mouth guards using a novel experimental methodology based on particle quantification. The nasal-mouthpiece protectors under examination include a single-layer protector, a surgical mask, and a KN95 mask. The expiratory phenomena evaluated in this study encompass talking, coughing, and sneezing. The experimental method for quantifying particles involves several steps. Firstly, high-speed videos are recorded. Subsequently, the most representative images illustrating the evolution of the phenomena are saved. Finally, these images are analyzed using a program developed by the author, which quantifies particles through image binarization. The experiment is conducted with three different test individuals to ensure its reliability. This repetition allows for a quantitative analysis of the amount of mucus-saliva mixture expelled during each phenomenon. Moreover, it enables the quantification of such expulsion when using the various nasal-mouth protectors. Additionally, the experimental methodology facilitates a qualitative analysis of each phenomenon, as it allows for observing how expiratory phenomena evolve under different states of nasal-mouth coverage, as depicted in representative images.