Humidifiers: Why Some Experts Say They Could Help Against COVID-19
Fancy as they look and sometimes relaxing as they smell, humidifiers are now usually available in the comfort of your homes. Even though the air is clear, our naked eyes still cannot see microbes fleeting in there that we sometimes inhale. In the case of Coronavirus, World Health Organization (WHO) said that this virus can spread from an infected person's nose or mouth, in small liquid particles when they sneeze, cough, speak, sing, or heavily breathe.
In an interview with Elemental, Department of Homeland Security Head of Hazard Awareness and Characterization, Lloyd Hough, Ph.D. said that the virus is more stable in the decrease of temperature and humidity, and it is less stable when the temperature and humidity increases.
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According to Elemental, humidity does not only affect the virus itself but also the frontline of the body's immune system. A study published in 2019 presented their result saying that exposure to dry air weakens host defense to influenza infection, reduces tissue repair, and imposes caspase-dependent disease pathology. Elemental added that the human respiratory tract filters out particles that will harm an individual and it doesn't work well in dry air.
Yale University's Professor of Immunobiology, Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D. said in an interview that when cold outdoor air with less moisture is heated indoors, the air's humidity drops to about 20 percent which provides a pathway for airborne viruses like COVID-19.
According to Mayo Clinic, the ideal humidity level at home should range between 30-50 percent. They added that low humidity can cause dry skin, irritate the nasal passages and throat, and make the eyes itchy while high humidity can make the air stuffy and can cause condensation on the walls and other surfaces that can the growth of harmful bacteria, dust mites, and molds.
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Element further said that although Dr. Iwasaki is one of the scientists that urges the WHO in offering guidelines of humidity levels in public buildings, Dr. Hough and other scientists are still not convinced that a humidifier in the home will offer significant protection against the coronavirus compared to proven ways like upgraded air filters, portable air purifiers, and improving ventilation by letting in fresh outdoor air.
Relativity of Humidity
According to Dr. Hough, drier air speeds evaporation which is needed by the coronavirus' aerosols because according to him, the spikes on the illustration of the virus are like little keys that fit on the tiny locks in human cells making them sneak in and reproduce itself. However, when virus particles leave one human host encased in a droplet, the spikes and other external structures begin to break down making them unable to infect.
Dr. Hough added that aerosols of COVID-19 can stay longer and can easily penetrate profound into the lungs of another person when the evaporation is faster which happens in dry air. He added that the smallest, dried-out, bare coronavirus particles can plummet deep into the smallest airways causing a severe risk of infection.
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