The University of Colorado chemist is communicating directly with the public about how people can protect themselves

An academic researcher’s frenetic life sounds relaxing to Jose-Luis Jimenez these days. Since March, the analytical and atmospheric chemist at the University of Colorado Boulder has worked nonstop, urging the US Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization to acknowledge that airborne aerosols play an important role in transmitting COVID-19. He’s one of 239 experts in multiple scientific fields who in July signed an open letter to the agencies (Clin. Infect. Dis. 2020, DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa939). The CDC has since updated its stance, stating that inhalation is the main mode of transmission of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. As of C&EN’s deadline, the WHO’s guidance still suggests a minor role for aerosols.

 

gemphotography/iStock