HC Deb 30 July 1998 vol 317 cc440-1W
Mr. Letwin

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 21 July 1998,Official Report, column 466, what research underlay his conclusions that no evidence exists to suggest a link between cabin air quality, flow rates and the spread of disease. [53898]

Ms Glenda Jackson

The research which indicates that there is no evidence of a link between cabin air quality, flow rates and the spread of disease is as follows:

  1. 1. Report No. DOT-P-15–89–5. December 1989. Airliner cabin environment: Contaminant measurements, health risks, and mitigation options (Section 8).
  1. 2. "Methods and Results of the Measurements of Aerogenic Micro-biological Contamination in Airplane Cabin Air"—Opinion of the Institute for Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Medical University of Lubeck, Germany. December 1995. (unpublished).
  2. 3. "Report on VOC Measurements during the Flights Frankfurt-Dallas-Frankfurt on 19/21 June 1995 and Frankfurt-New York-Frankfurt on 17/19 July 1995— Fraunhofer-Institut fur Umweltchemie und Okotoxikologie, Schmallenberg, Germany. December 1995. (unpublished).
  3. 4. "Toxicological Evaluation of Cabin Air Concentrations". Prof. Dr. Med. Th. Eikmann, Institut fur Hygiene und Umweltchemie Universilat Giessen, Germany. December 1995. (unpublished).
  4. 5. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health January 1993. HETA 90–226–2281. Health hazard evaluation report. Alaska Airlines.

The transmission of disease in an aircraft cabin cannot be eliminated. However, there is no evidence to show that technical changes in aircraft cabin environment have increased that risk, or that the risk is as great as infection from any public environment.