Do airplanes cause illness?
It is the time of year that more and more people are traveling. I continually see and treat patients who get what I consider to be sick airplane syndrome although the airlines would have us believe it doesn’t exist. Aviation unions continually try to get recognition for what they know is a real disease and health hazard.
Many people come into my office 1-3 days after returning from a trip on an airplane. They many times complain of flu-like symptoms that persist for hours to days after their flight. Some of these patients think they just have jet lag but many may have more serious problems.
In 2001 two members of Congress commissioned a study over the concerns of air quality in airplanes. They found that there is low cabin pressure and typically higher levels of ozone. As of yet, there is no national air quality standard for these airplanes.
"Sick Airplane Syndrome"
Airlines used to pump fresh air into the plane from the outside but now, cabin air on almost every domestic aircraft is recycled. Airline executives found that they could save fuel if they changed this method of air exchange. In fresh air, the oxygen you inhale contains less than 1% carbon dioxide. The air you exhale, on the other hand, contains about 4% carbon dioxide. When you place many people in a poorly ventilated, enclosed space for extended periods of time, the carbon dioxide level rises.
Airline representative will say that the recirculated cabin air is usually passed through air filters that trap allergens, skin flakes, and bacteria. But this still does not allow for new air to be introduced. It is reported that about 6 to 10 cubic feet per minute of outside air comes into the economy-class cabin--as opposed to the legal minimum of 15 to 20 cubic feet per minute in buildings, and the 50 or more cubic feet per minute the pilots get in the cockpit. This prevents gases, especially carbon dioxide, from being ventilated out of the cabin.
Symptoms that we see frequently in travelers are headaches, fatigue, mental slowness, sore throat, coughing, and dry or watery eyes and in long trips, you can become dehydrated.
We believe and the evidence that is available supports the fact that travelers develop more cold-like symptoms in airplane cabins than in other enclosed, highly populated public spaces.
New data from a recent “Lancet” article also demonstrates that clotting and coagulation factors are activated more by prolonged flights than by other immobilizing situations. This places patients at risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in their legs which have the potential to later break off and cause pulmonary emboli and sudden death. Patients most at risk would be those with known hereditary clotting problems, pregnant patients, obese patients, cancer patients, and females on hormone therapies.
Things you can do to minimize problems while flying are:
• Drink plenty of fluids to help minimize dehydration since the humidity in planes is very low and you lose a lot of moisture from breathing and from your skin
• Fly in first or business class, where fewer people share air space.
• Remember your inhaler if you have asthma.
• Try to avoid flying with a cold
• During connecting flights, do not stay on the plane and get as much fresh air as possible between flights
• Take a steaming hot shower as soon as possible to clear your head and sinuses.
• Don’t visit smoke-filled bars between flights or prior to flying
• Even if you don't feel thirsty, drink up. Experts recommend that you drink at least two 8-ounce glasses just before departure and 1 liter for every hour you spend in the air--in addition to the beverages you drink with meals.
• Pack a travel-size bottle of skin lotion to replenish moisture in your face and hands during air travel.
• Take some contact solution for your contact lenses or better yet, wear glasses while flying.
• Get up and move around frequently especially on long flights
• If you are at risk of DVT’s then consider special stockings to wear to help minimize the risk
• Be aware that the cabins of some planes traveling to or from certain countries are subject to spraying with pesticides. This has unknown risks and is currently unregulated.
Many people come into my office 1-3 days after returning from a trip on an airplane. They many times complain of flu-like symptoms that persist for hours to days after their flight. Some of these patients think they just have jet lag but many may have more serious problems.
In 2001 two members of Congress commissioned a study over the concerns of air quality in airplanes. They found that there is low cabin pressure and typically higher levels of ozone. As of yet, there is no national air quality standard for these airplanes.
"Sick Airplane Syndrome"
Airlines used to pump fresh air into the plane from the outside but now, cabin air on almost every domestic aircraft is recycled. Airline executives found that they could save fuel if they changed this method of air exchange. In fresh air, the oxygen you inhale contains less than 1% carbon dioxide. The air you exhale, on the other hand, contains about 4% carbon dioxide. When you place many people in a poorly ventilated, enclosed space for extended periods of time, the carbon dioxide level rises.
Airline representative will say that the recirculated cabin air is usually passed through air filters that trap allergens, skin flakes, and bacteria. But this still does not allow for new air to be introduced. It is reported that about 6 to 10 cubic feet per minute of outside air comes into the economy-class cabin--as opposed to the legal minimum of 15 to 20 cubic feet per minute in buildings, and the 50 or more cubic feet per minute the pilots get in the cockpit. This prevents gases, especially carbon dioxide, from being ventilated out of the cabin.
Symptoms that we see frequently in travelers are headaches, fatigue, mental slowness, sore throat, coughing, and dry or watery eyes and in long trips, you can become dehydrated.
We believe and the evidence that is available supports the fact that travelers develop more cold-like symptoms in airplane cabins than in other enclosed, highly populated public spaces.
New data from a recent “Lancet” article also demonstrates that clotting and coagulation factors are activated more by prolonged flights than by other immobilizing situations. This places patients at risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in their legs which have the potential to later break off and cause pulmonary emboli and sudden death. Patients most at risk would be those with known hereditary clotting problems, pregnant patients, obese patients, cancer patients, and females on hormone therapies.
Things you can do to minimize problems while flying are:
• Drink plenty of fluids to help minimize dehydration since the humidity in planes is very low and you lose a lot of moisture from breathing and from your skin
• Fly in first or business class, where fewer people share air space.
• Remember your inhaler if you have asthma.
• Try to avoid flying with a cold
• During connecting flights, do not stay on the plane and get as much fresh air as possible between flights
• Take a steaming hot shower as soon as possible to clear your head and sinuses.
• Don’t visit smoke-filled bars between flights or prior to flying
• Even if you don't feel thirsty, drink up. Experts recommend that you drink at least two 8-ounce glasses just before departure and 1 liter for every hour you spend in the air--in addition to the beverages you drink with meals.
• Pack a travel-size bottle of skin lotion to replenish moisture in your face and hands during air travel.
• Take some contact solution for your contact lenses or better yet, wear glasses while flying.
• Get up and move around frequently especially on long flights
• If you are at risk of DVT’s then consider special stockings to wear to help minimize the risk
• Be aware that the cabins of some planes traveling to or from certain countries are subject to spraying with pesticides. This has unknown risks and is currently unregulated.
posted by Anonymous at 6:17 PM
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