Mitigating aerosol-induced respiratory infections in home quarantine: The role of door dynamics and ventilation in residential design

Abstract

Respiratory infectious diseases, notably recurring waves of COVID-19 during autumn and winter, have significantly impacted global health and strained public health systems. Home isolation has emerged as a crucial and economical strategy to mitigate these impacts. This study investigates aerosol transmission and infection risks in home isolation environments using the Lattice Boltzmann Method with Large Eddy Simulation (LBM-LES). We focused on the impact of door operations and various natural ventilation rates on aerosol transmission and exposure risk in adjacent rooms. Our findings reveal that, without ventilation, aerosol leakage through door gaps poses a minimal infection risk to adjacent rooms, with an average probability of less than 2 × 10−5. However, with adequate ventilation, the infection risk for individuals in adjacent rooms for over 3 h can reach 60 %–70 %. Brief door movements have limited impact on infection risk (p ≤ 0.05, d ≤ 0.20), with aerosol leakage mainly occurring through door gaps rather than door movements. To reduce cross-infection during home isolation, we recommend avoiding prolonged stays near downwind walls facing the door. This research provides insights into aerosol dynamics in home isolation scenarios, offering theoretical guidance for designing safe isolation spaces and practical advice for healthy family members to minimize infection risk.

Keywords

• Home isolation
• Natural ventilation
• Exposure risk assessment
• Aerosol
• LBM-LES
• Computational fluid dynamics