Research Shows Potential Threats in Aircraft Cabin Safety

World Airline News, April 14, 2000

New research indicates air travelers may be in just as much danger sitting idly in their seats as from the aircraft suffering a mechanical failure.

Pathogens transmitted through the air, which have the potential to cause the common cold, influenza and tuberculosis (TB), have been found on air filters in cabins examined by John Moorehead of the Ohio-based Battelle Memorial Institute. "We've looked at filters on four different aircraft with essentially the same results," Moorehead stated at a cabin safety conference in Los Angeles. "It's an active growth location, spreading fungal spores, primarily downstream. Viruses pass through too, especially with lower filter efficiency. The filters are probably creating a greater biological hazard than they are taking out of cabin air," he told delegates at the Southern California Safety Institute's 17th Annual International Cabin Safety Symposium.

Other research performed by the Harvard School of Public Health to determine the levels of allergens and pathogens in aircraft cabins indicates concentrations of dust mites are lower than what would probably be found in most homes. However, cat allergens were found on every seat tested, which could be dangerous for individuals allergic to cats.

Preliminary studies show there is some likelihood the restricted flow of air in an aircraft can enable the spread of conditions such as influenza and TB. Harvard's findings indicate while air filters can trap some disease-causing pathogens, those relating to TB remain airborne long enough to travel through cabin ventilation systems. Several cases of TB transmission in cabins exist and findings from the Harvard School of Public Health indicated the risk of exposure to TB is greater than HIV (the virus which causes AIDS) on commercial aircraft.

Presenters at the cabin safety conference told World Airline News' sister publication Air Safety Week that they recommended several precautions carriers can presently adopt to reduce the spread of disease including inoculating the crew, screening passengers, avoiding the addition of water vapor, and addressing filters and ducting with evolving technology. Airlines contacted by WAN declined an invitation to comment on the studies.

>> Moorehead, moorehej@battelle.org; Burge, hburge@#hsph.harvard.edu <<