The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology released their findings two years ago in its report titled Air Travel and Health2

University Degree Subjects allied to Medicine

The House of Lords Select Committee1 on Science and Technology released their findings two years ago in its report titled Air Travel and Health2. The committee studied various evidence submitted from nearly 200 individuals and organisations including doctors, engineers, scientists, airlines, plane manufacturers, and travellers. Their report concluded, " Air travel, like all other activities, is not risk free. For the very great majority, any risks to health from the aircraft cabin environment seem very small - and certainly less than individuals accept with little or no apparent thought in other aspects of their daily lives. For a small minority, there are more significant issues, although a number of these may not be unique to air travel". This essay looks at the impact of aviation on human health by examining the risk of air-travel related DVT and the quality of air on board aircraft.

Air traffic has risen steeply in recent years with the annual number of flight passengers exceeding 1.562 billion in 1999 to 1.647 billion in 20003. Commercial air travel has become a safe and fast means of transport than going by car, bus or train4 and is accepted as a part of our everyday life around the world. It has become affordable and accessible to all sectors of the population5 and the distance that planes can fly non-stop and the duration of flights continues to rise. Air travel particularly long-distance travel lasting longer than 4-5 hours6 however exposes some passengers to a number of factors that may affect their health and well-being. This affects passengers with pre-existing health problems or those at risk of developing a medical problem during flight due to the aeroplane cabin environment.

The cabin air pressure, cabin humidity and air quality are considered to be irritant factors7. Cabin pressure is at an equivalent pressure to being at an altitude of between 1500-2500 metres above sea level8. At these higher altitudes the gases within the body cavities expand in volume by up to 30% and the available oxygen is reduced9. Although the reduction of pressure due to flying altitude may reduce absorption of oxygen, normal healthy passengers sitting at these altitudes generally feel no ill effects10. As the aircraft ascends and descends it can lead to pain in the eardrums but yawning or swallowing can alleviate this discomfort11. The cabin air is relatively dry and it is at around 20% humidity, which causes mild dehydration that leads to the sensation of dryness to the eyes mouth. Dehydration can be avoided by maintaining good fluid intake before and during the flight, however it can be aggravated by caffeine intake and alcohol consumption12. Groups at risk from cabin air are the elderly, people that are fasting13and anybody that has spent time diving under water14.

There is also the potential for a disease to be transmitted via aircraft from areas of the world to countries that have few cases of infections. Whenever groups of people are together there is the potential for diseases to spread. Passengers who become ill during or after a flight may have caught the disease either from another passenger or from exposure before travelling15. In modern aircraft however the cabin air is changed every three minutes and the air is said to be cleaner than operating theatres because the highly efficient air re-circulation systems do not allow micro-organisms to ...