Study: Vuvuzelas spew diseases in 'shower of spittle'
LONDON - Vuvuzelas, the loud horns used by soccer fans at last year's World Cup in South Africa, not only cause noise pollution but also create a spittle shower that can spread diseases, according to a new study.
A short burst on the instrument spews germs as efficiently as a sneeze, travelling at a four million droplets a second, the study found.
In crowded venues one person blowing a vuvuzela could infect many others with airborne illness like the flu or tuberculosis, the study said.
Organizers of the 2012 London Olympics now are considering whether to ban them.
Vuvuzela critics say they are obnoxious and unsafe because of the deafening drone they create. Now, it seems, they are nonstop source of infections and diseases as well.
Dr. Ruth McNerney, who carried out the latest work at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said a "vuvuzela blowing etiquette" may be needed rather than a ban.
"Just as with coughs or sneezes, action should be taken to prevent disease transmission, and people with infections must be advised against blowing their vuvuzelas close to other people," she said in an interview with the BBC.
Her team investigated the vuvuzela hazard using a laser device to measure how many droplets were produced by eight volunteers using the horns.
On average, 658,000 lung particles, or aerosols, per litre of air were expelled from the instruments. The droplets shot into the air at the rate of four million per second.
In comparison, when the volunteers were asked to shout, they produced only 3,700 particles per litre at a rate of 7,000 per second.
"When attending a sporting event and surrounded by vuvuzela players, a spectator could expect to inhale large numbers of respiratory aerosols over the course of the event," McNerney told the BBC.
A short burst on the instrument spews germs as efficiently as a sneeze, travelling at a four million droplets a second, the study found.
In crowded venues one person blowing a vuvuzela could infect many others with airborne illness like the flu or tuberculosis, the study said.
Organizers of the 2012 London Olympics now are considering whether to ban them.
Vuvuzela critics say they are obnoxious and unsafe because of the deafening drone they create. Now, it seems, they are nonstop source of infections and diseases as well.
Dr. Ruth McNerney, who carried out the latest work at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said a "vuvuzela blowing etiquette" may be needed rather than a ban.
"Just as with coughs or sneezes, action should be taken to prevent disease transmission, and people with infections must be advised against blowing their vuvuzelas close to other people," she said in an interview with the BBC.
Her team investigated the vuvuzela hazard using a laser device to measure how many droplets were produced by eight volunteers using the horns.
On average, 658,000 lung particles, or aerosols, per litre of air were expelled from the instruments. The droplets shot into the air at the rate of four million per second.
In comparison, when the volunteers were asked to shout, they produced only 3,700 particles per litre at a rate of 7,000 per second.
"When attending a sporting event and surrounded by vuvuzela players, a spectator could expect to inhale large numbers of respiratory aerosols over the course of the event," McNerney told the BBC.
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