Airplane Air Quality – What You Can do About It
If you are a frequent traveler, by air, you have probably thought one or twice about the quality of the air inside the aircraft. I know that being seated by a person that is obviously sick, makes me very concerned. I try to keep my face the other way and I turn the air nozzle above me right toward my face and hope that the air coming out will be clean and keep me from getting sick. I am not sure that any of that makes any difference but here are some things that I have researched that can help to know. It really doesn't matter if the flight is a short hop or a long flight to Madesimo. Some of the things you may be exposed to on a typical commercial air flight are:
- Inadequate Ventilation
- Polluted Air Supply on Ground
- Exposure to Heated Oils and Hydraulic Fluids
- Reduced Oxygen During Flight
- Inadequate Attention to Temperature Range
- Exposure to Potentially High Concentrations of Pesticides
First of all, you should be aware that some international flights will actually spray insecticides in the plane before you board. I know you may not want to think about that, but it is true. This is done for everyone's safety, but if it is done too close to boarding some residual may be in the air. Not much you can do about it, but you should be aware anyway. Especially if you are extremely allergic to strong smells or maybe have asthma. Although a high quality face mask might help with this, it would be kind of extreme to put on a mask.. ( I know some do though).
Secondly, the air quality in most modern day aircraft is actually quite good. Many Boeing planes actually filter about 50% of the air circulating through a HEPA filter, which will remove all sorts of airborne particles, viruses, and bacteria. Some may even use carbon filter to help make the air smell good. This is really good to know because you can point the nozzle of you air flow at your face and breathe this air knowing that at least the number of particles is being reduced.
Thirdly, you can buy a device that you plug into the existing air flow nozzle to filter your air even better. This device is called a Pb Travel Plane Air Filter
This further filters the air you are receiving to provide a curtain of clean air for you. This really makes sense if you are worried about air quality when flying.
Lastly, a word about air filters in general. A good home air purifier, such as the BlueAir Air Purifier line of equipment can make a tremendous difference in the quality of the air you breathe. Home air purifiers have come a long way and deserve some investigation if you are the least bit concerned about the air in your home or office.