Estimation of Effect of Environmental Tobacco Smoke on Air Quality within Passenger Cabins of Commercial Aircraft

Oldaker, Guy B.; Conrad, Fred C.

doi:10.1021/es50001a013

Cited by 51 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…In 1987, Oldaker & Conrad, 30 in an RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company study, measured gas phase nicotine on three narrow bodied B727-200, B737-200, and B737-300 aircraft. They concluded that average exposures in the non-smoking section were ''insignificant compared to smoking a single cigarette'', and that the aircraft ventilation systems were primarily responsible.…”

Section: Tobacco Industry Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flying the smoky skies: secondhand smoke exposure of flight attendants

Repace¹

2004

Tob Control

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Objective: To assess the contribution of secondhand smoke (SHS) to aircraft cabin air pollution and flight attendants' SHS exposure relative to the general population. Methods: Published air quality measurements, modelling studies, and dosimetry studies were reviewed, analysed, and generalised. Results: Flight attendants reported suffering greatly from SHS pollution on aircraft. Both government and airline sponsored studies concluded that SHS created an air pollution problem in aircraft cabins, while tobacco industry sponsored studies yielding similar data concluded that ventilation controlled SHS, and that SHS pollution levels were low. Between the time that non-smoking sections were established on US carriers in 1973, and the two hour US smoking ban in 1988, commercial aircraft ventilation rates had declined three times as fast as smoking prevalence. The aircraft cabin provided the least volume and lowest ventilation rate per smoker of any social venue, including stand up bars and smoking lounges, and afforded an abnormal respiratory environment. Personal monitors showed little difference in SHS exposures between flight attendants assigned to smoking sections and those assigned to non-smoking sections of aircraft cabins. Conclusions: In-flight air quality measurements in ,250 aircraft, generalised by models, indicate that when smoking was permitted aloft, 95% of the harmful respirable suspended particle (RSP) air pollution in the smoking sections and 85% of that in the non-smoking sections of aircraft cabins was caused by SHS. Typical levels of SHS-RSP on aircraft violated current (PM 2.5 ) federal air quality standards ,threefold for flight attendants, and exceeded SHS irritation thresholds by 10 to 100 times. From cotinine dosimetry, SHS exposure of typical flight attendants in aircraft cabins is estimated to have been .6-fold that of the average US worker and ,14-fold that of the average person. Thus, ventilation systems massively failed to control SHS air pollution in aircraft cabins. These results have implications for studies of the past and future health of flight attendants.

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Section: Tobacco Industry Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flying the smoky skies: secondhand smoke exposure of flight attendants

Repace¹

2004

Tob Control

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“…In addition, ETS exposure may aect asthmatic people [6] and cause ocular and nasal eects among passengers and C/A in aircraft [19,21], and can be the cause of``sick building syndrome'' [17,25,26,34]. The cabin in commercial aircraft is densely populated, and exposure to ETS may occur if smoking is allowed [5,8,9,21,22,23,24]. The exposure to ETS on commercial passenger¯ights is today a debated issue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urinary cotinine concentration in flight attendants, in relation to exposure to environmental tobacco smoke during intercontinental flights

Lindgren

Willers

Skarping

et al. 1999

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

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Tobacco smoking in commercial aircraft may cause significant exposure to environmental tobacco smoke among C/A working in the aft galley, despite high air exchange rates and spatial separation between smokers and non-smokers. This agrees with earlier studies, as well as measurements on the aircraft, showing a higher degree of ETS-related air pollution in the aft galley than in the forward galley. The average cotinine concentration in urine was similar to that in other groups with occupational exposure to ETS, e.g., restaurant staff, police interrogators and office workers. Since smoking in commercial aircraft may result in an involuntary exposure to ETS among non-smokers, it should be avoided.

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“…Areas where smoking is allowed have been compared with areas where smoking has been prohibited (9), offices have been compared with cafeterias "(10) and the indoor air quality has been related to different activities (11). Some ETS components, mainly nicotine, have been measured in various locations (12,13) including aircraft (12,14,15,8). The results of these studies are quite variable, probably because different techniques and methods have been used.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air quality in passenger cabins of DC‐9 and MD‐80 aircraft

Malmfors¹,

Thorburn

Westlin³

1989

Environmental Technology Letters

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The air quality in the passenger cabins of DC-9 and MD-80 aircraft has been studied on 48 representative flights. A portable air sampling case was used. No observations of health effects were made. The average levels of the components related to environmental tobacco smoke, were for respirable suspended particles 60, 250, 160 and 220 g/m 3 ; for nicotine 5, 41, 21 and 32 g/m 3 ; and for carbon monoxide 0.6, 1.1, 0.8 and 1.

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Estimation of Effect of Environmental Tobacco Smoke on Air Quality within Passenger Cabins of Commercial Aircraft

Cited by 51 publications

References 2 publications

Flying the smoky skies: secondhand smoke exposure of flight attendants

Flying the smoky skies: secondhand smoke exposure of flight attendants

Urinary cotinine concentration in flight attendants, in relation to exposure to environmental tobacco smoke during intercontinental flights

Air quality in passenger cabins of DC‐9 and MD‐80 aircraft

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