Health hazards of air travel

A number of possible health hazards of air travel have been investigated.

Infection

On an airplane, people sit in a confined space for extended periods of time, which increases the risk of transmission of airborne infections.[1][2] For this reason, airlines place restrictions on the travel of passengers with known airborne contagious diseases (e.g. tuberculosis). During the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic of 2003, awareness of the possibility of acquisition of infection on a commercial aircraft reached its zenith when on one flight from Hong Kong to Beijing, 16 of 120 people on the flight developed proven SARS from a single index case.[3]

There is very limited research done on contagious diseases on aircraft. The two most common respiratory pathogens to which air passengers are exposed are parainfluenza and influenza.[4] In one study, the flight ban imposed following the attacks of September 11, 2001 was found to have restricted the global spread of seasonal influenza, resulting in a much milder influenza season that year,[5] and the ability of influenza to spread on aircraft has been well documented.[1] There is no data on the relative contributions of large droplets, small particles, close contact, surface contamination, and no data on the relative importance of any of these methods of transmission for specific diseases, and therefore very little information on how to control the risk of infection. There is no standardisation of air handling by aircraft, installation of HEPA filters or of hand washing by air crew, and no published information on the relative efficacy of any of these interventions in reducing the spread of infection.[6]

Air travel, like other forms of travel, may also increase the speed at which infections spread around the world.

Other possible health hazards

Other possible hazards of air travel that have been investigated include increased radiation from space,[7] airsickness, deep vein thrombosis (from lack of movement whilst seated),[8] and chemical contamination of cabin air.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Mangili A, Gendreau MA (2005). "Transmission of infectious diseases during commercial air travel". Lancet 365 (9463): 989–96. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)71089-8. PMID 15767002.
  2. ↑ Leder K, Newman D (2005). "Respiratory infections during air travel". Intern Med J 35 (1): 50–55. doi:10.1111/j.1445-5994.2004.00696.x. PMID 15667469.
  3. ↑ Olsen SJ, Chang HL, Cheung TY, et al. (2003). "Transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome on aircraft". N Engl J Med 349 (25): 2416–22. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa031349. PMID 14681507.
  4. ↑ Luna LK, Panning M, Grywna K, Pfefferle S, Drosten C (2007). "Spectrum of viruses and atypical bacteria in intercontinental air travelers with symptoms of acute respiratory infection". J Infect Dis 195 (5): 675–9. doi:10.1086/511432. PMID 17262708.
  5. ↑ Brownstein JS, Wolfe CJ, Mandl KD (2006). "Empirical evidence for the effect of airline travel on inter-regional influenza spread in the United States". PLoS Med 3 (10): 3401. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0030401. PMC 1564183. PMID 16968115.
  6. ↑ Pavia, Andrew T. (2007). "Germs on a Plane: Aircraft, International Travel, and the Global Spread of Disease". Journal of Infectious Diseases 195 (5): 621–22. doi:10.1086/511439. PMID 17262701.
  7. ↑ Protection of air crew from cosmic radiation: Guidance material
  8. ↑ The absolute risk of venous thrombosis after air travel
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