Experimental data on aerosols exhaled into the environment from different wind musical instruments

Area of Science:

• Acoustics
• Aerosol Science
• Musical Instrument Performance

Background:

• Pandemic-related restrictions impacted brass bands and wind instrument use.
• Understanding aerosol emissions from wind instruments is crucial for public health and performance guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and compare aerosol particle emissions from various wind instruments.
• To investigate the influence of playing dynamics and articulation techniques on aerosol output.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) to measure emitted aerosols.
• Collected data on particle concentration, size, and emission rates.
• Compared emissions across different dynamic levels (piano, mezzo forte, forte) and articulation styles (staccato, legato).

Main Results:

• Higher dynamic playing levels (forte) significantly increased aerosol particle concentration compared to softer levels (piano).
• Aerosol particle diameter was approximately 0.8 μm for most instruments, but 1.8 μm for the Navarra bagpipe.
• The Navarra bagpipe emitted five times more particles per second than the bassoon.
• Differences in particle concentration between staccato and legato techniques were negligible.

Conclusions:

• Instrumental dynamics are a key factor in aerosol emission levels.
• Instrument type, particularly the Navarra bagpipe, greatly influences particle emission quantity and size.
• Articulation techniques have minimal impact on particle emission concentration.