How far does cough expectorant travel?

Factual Questions
1

So I was standing on the train platform today. Three to four feet behind me (I’m terrible at estimating such measurements, so it may be closer to four, perhaps even five) stood a woman; I was half turned towards her watching for the train. All of a sudden, she lets out two hearty coughs right in my direction. She obviously didn’t think I was close enough for her to bother covering her mouth (which she did on the train, even with no one else around :P), but I was extremely annoyed, and mildly concerned, considering I’m already on the tail end of a cold. Getting another cold, or even something more serious like pertussis, would be… NOT good.

So how far do the “germs” of a cough travel, generally? A Google search absolutely failed to find a single useful answer, since it interprets “foot” as the body part (never mind the Vicks urban legend). Ignore stuff like the wind; I don’t think it was blowing in the right direction anyway.

2

I don’t know as I didn’t watch it but I believe the most recent new Mythbusters episode tackled this.

3

Or will tomorrow night.

4

**How far does cough expectorant travel? **

Guaifenesin is the most commonly used cough expectorant, and if put on a jet plane travelling 700 miles, that’s how far it would travel too.

I’ll comment further after the Mythbusters episode tomorrow night. :wink:

Here’s a good article on Aerosol transmission. Briefly, depending on air currents, it can go a hell of a long ways, even over 100 feet.

5

I also eagerly await Mythbusters, but I’ll add this in the meantime: “Droplet precautions” in a hospital means you have or we think you might have something that I can catch from you if you cough on me. I’m supposed to wear a mask and gown, and I’m supposed to stay 3 feet away from you whenever possible. So the current western medical thinking must be that droplets from a cough, indoors, travel just shy of 3 feet.

6

From my cite above: