Why the air at the gym may be more likely to spread Covid-19

Put another way, how many microscopic aerosol particles are the other cyclists in your spin class breathing out into the room? How many is the runner on the nearby treadmill spewing forth? A small study about respiration and exercise published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides some rather startling answers.

These findings help explain why several notable Covid-19 superspreader events since 2020 have occurred at indoor gym classes. They also could renew some people’s concerns about indoor gym programs as Covid-19 cases increase again in much of the nation and raise questions about how to best reduce risks of exposure when we work out.

So for the new study, a group of exercise scientists and fluid dynamics researchers in Germany devised a novel way to measure aerosol emission, using a single stationary bicycle and rider inside an airtight tent. The cyclists wore silicone masks that captured their exhaled breaths, sending the air through tubes to a machine that counted each particle as it passed.

The rise in aerosol emissions began moderately as riders warmed up and started pedaling harder. But as they reached a threshold at which their exercise became noticeably more strenuous — about when a jog becomes a run or a spin class switches into intervals — the rise in emissions became exponential.

“The study provides mechanistic data to back up the assumption that exercising indoors is a higher-risk activity when it comes to transmission of Covid-19” than taking your exercise outside, said Dr Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech and expert on airborne transmission of viruses.

You might also suggest the gym install in-room air filters in each workout area, Dr Cappa said. “These can be really effective in reducing transmission risk by removing the virus from the air.” They can be purchased commercially or even made at home, he said.

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Because most building including gym, air circulation system are not designed to provide the correct filtration for COVID situation.

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