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Did you know that on an average aircraft journey only 50% of the
air is actually "fresh"? The rest of the time you are breathing
re-circulated air.
Many aircraft include HEPA filters to filter out airborne
particles but they are not actually obliged to do this (some don't)
and there are no maintenance standards to be adhered to. Left unchecked,
filters can quickly become a breeding ground for the very nasties
they are supposed to eliminate! In fact most airlines don't even
monitor air quality.
So whilst you might be aware that the guy behind you in row
"B", with the hacking cough, could be sending a flu virus or a dose
of TB in your direction, you won't have a clue what the passenger
in row "Z" has in store for you, but thanks to the air re-circulation
policy and suspect air cleaning procedures, you will be just as
vulnerable to whatever he has to share.
And here's another cheery thought; airlines do not humidify
the air (even though low humidity - about 20% - is a real problem
for passengers), this is achieved by you, and the other passengers,
with your very own breath!
All of the associations and unions that represent airline
staff have serious problems with the standards of air quality in
their employers' aircraft. The information below was written by
an industrial hygienist for the Association of Flight Attendants
and published in Transport International magazine earlier this year
(2004).
".........It is not easy to try to change a system that has enabled
airlines, manufacturers, and their suppliers to continually cut
costs and corners at the expense of the health, safety, and comfort
of crews and passengers worldwide.
The regulators do not keep track of the health impact of sub-standard
aircraft air quality. The airlines do not monitor the air. Airline
workers have no right to access the very records that prove the
air made them sick......"
In the air:
- The cockpit gets up to 20 times more
outside air than the passenger cabin, and typically, none of
it is recirculated.
- On most aircraft, about half the air
supply is recirculated, and the source of moisture in the air
is the breath of those on board.
- Ozone gas - a strong irritant that
can lower immunity to infection - occurs naturally in the air
at flight altitudes and can be pulled into the aircraft air
supply.
- At maximum flight altitude, the oxygen
supply in the cabin is about 75 per cent of what is in the air
at ground level.
- Carbon monoxide gas exposure can occur
during an incident when smoke appears in the cabin, and this
is especially serious in-flight because the oxygen supply is
already reduced.
- Any damage done to brain or nerve tissue
during exposure to tricresylphosphates (TCPs, additives in many
engine oils and hydraulic fluids) may not develop until weeks
after an incidence of "smoke in the cabin."
- Some airlines soak the planes with
pesticides before crew and passengers board - or even during
a flight. Nobody is warned in advance and menstruating or pregnant
women, babies, and people who are immunocompromised are especially
at risk of toxic effects.
| Aircraft air quality problem. |
Some effects associated problem with
exposure. |
| Inadequate supply of clean, outisde
air. |
Difficulty concentrating, fatigue, outside
air general malaise, headaches, possible increased risk of
disease transmission. |
| Inadequate oxygen in-flight. |
Bluish lips or nails, chest tightness/pain,
confusion/giddiness, difficulty concentrating, dizziness,
fainting, fatigue, headache, impaired judgment, nose bleed,
vomiting, and weakness. |
| Air supply contaminated with de-icing
or exhaust fumes. |
Chest pain, dizziness, de-icing fluid
or exhaust fumes eye/nose/throat irritation, headaches . |
| Air supply contaminated with ozone.
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Breathlessness, eye/nose/throat ozone
irritation, chest tightness/pain |
| Air supply contaminated with heated
oils or hydraulic fluids. |
Balance problems, chills, memory heated
oils or hydraulic fluids loss, mouth ulcers, muscle aches/twitching,
seizures, stomach cramps, tingling, tremors, vertigo, vision
problems; see also inadequate oxygen symptoms. |
| Pesticide exposure. |
Anaphylactic shock, cough, difficulty
breathing, dizziness, eye/throat irritation, fatigue, headache,
immune and nervous system dysfunction, lung damage, nose bleed,
rash/hives. |
| Any combination of the above. |
Unstudied and largely unknown. |
The Aircare Personal wearable ioniser
will help protect you in what is obviously a pretty hostile environment.
Order one today and don't even think about getting on a plane without
it.
Important note: See also our super Elanra
Portable Therapeutic Ioniser which goes a stage beyond simple
air cleaning. It's a bit more expensive but is simply untouchable.
First Class all the way!
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