Variations in human saliva viscoelasticity affect aerosolization propensity

Abstract

shear and extensional rheology experiments, concluding that the extensional relaxation time is the most adequate measure of a saliva's elasticity. We summarize our results in terms of the dimensionless Weber, Reynolds, and Deborah numbers and construct universal state diagrams that directly compare our data to human sneezing, concluding that the aerosolization propensity is correlated with diminished saliva elasticities, higher emission velocities, and larger ejecta volumes. This could entail variations in disease transmission between individuals which hitherto have not been recognized.

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