How long can bacteria from a sneeze live in the air?

When the seasons change, if you are not careful, it is easy to catch a cold. A cold will cause sneezing, runny nose, or fever and dizziness. The body will feel very uncomfortable and the limbs will be weak. When you sneeze, bacteria will enter the air with the sneeze. Many people will be infected by the bacteria in the air and catch a cold. Therefore, it is important to know how long bacteria can survive in the air. So how long can bacteria survive in the air when you sneeze?

According to a survey, a cough can produce 20,000 tiny droplets, and a sneeze can produce nearly 1 million droplets. Moreover, the droplets are sprayed very quickly, flying 4.6 meters in less than 1 second, and up to 9 meters if there is a tailwind. The nasal cavity and throat are one of the places where bacteria and viruses gather most densely, and the droplets sprayed contain a large number of bacteria and viruses. A sneeze can emit up to 85 million germs. These tiny droplets can float in the air for a long time. In a windless room, they can float for 30 to 60 minutes, and some can float for up to 30 hours. After the moisture in the droplets evaporates, the bacteria and viruses fly with the dust again, continuing to endanger human health.

1. Sneeze at 100 miles per hour

Sneezing is much faster than we think, usually at 30 to 35 miles per hour. A recent study found that when a person sneezes, 100,000 germs are sprayed into the air at 100 miles per hour.

It is generally believed that sneezing can spread germs within a radius of 5 feet (about 152 cm). But studies have found that some people's sneezes can spray germ-filled mucus particles up to 30 feet (about 914 cm) away.

3. Not sneezing is harmful to your health

It is reported that holding a sneeze is harmful to your health. Studies have found that holding back a sneeze is equivalent to swallowing a large number of germs. In addition, experts say that in rare cases, holding a sneeze may also lead to damaged blood vessels in the eyes, weakened blood vessels in the brain, ruptured ear drums or diaphragm problems.