Jun 25, 2008 6:26 am US/Pacific
Airplane Cabin Air May Be Making Passengers Sick
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
The British government is investigating a common complaint - whether cabin air is making airline passengers and crew sick.
Soaring costs, security hassles, worries over lost luggage and endless delays make some people air sick even before they step onboard a plane, CBS station WCBS-TV in New York City reports.
"Sometimes I come down with a little bit of a cold," said one air traveler.
British scientists believe contaminated air could be polluting the cabins of one in 2,000 flights worldwide. Researchers blame the problem on air deep within those engines that's used to pressurize the cabin.
But how much is getting through, and how dangerous is it to passengers?
The British government wants to know the answers, and it's booking researchers onboard 100 scheduled flights with wands that test air quality.
The study is making people pilots very happy.
Jim McAuslan, of the British Airline Pilots Association said, "What we're most pleased with is a number of people in the industry have joined to do this scientific research."
One new aircraft - the Boeing 787, has already been designed without a pressure system fed from the engines. Others may follow. Maybe in the future, when you take off, you won't come down with a cold.
Other possible problems with airplane air quality include low humidity, air pressure and oxygen levels, as well as germs floating in re-circulated cabin air.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recently issued a new air quality standard for commercial passenger aircraft. Cabin air quality may improve if airlines adopt the voluntary standards.
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