The physics of particle formation and deposition during breathing

Lidia Morawska; Giorgio Buonanno

doi:10.1038/s42254-021-00307-4

The physics of particle formation and deposition during breathing

Nat Rev Phys. 2021;3(5):300-301. doi: 10.1038/s42254-021-00307-4. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Authors

Lidia Morawska^{1

2}, Giorgio Buonanno^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Queensland University of Technology, International Laboratory for Air Quality & Health (ILAQH), Brisbane, Australia.
² Global Centre for Clean Air Research, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
³ Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Cassino, Italy.

Abstract

In every breath, humans take in particles that may be deposited on the respiratory tract and exhale particles that may contain pathogens. Lidia Morawska and Giorgio Buonanno explain how physics advances are needed to understand these processes.

Keywords: Applied physics; Fluid dynamics.