Air Travel and Health A Systems Perspective

by Seabridge, Allan; Morgan, Shirley

• ISBN13: 9780470711774
• ISBN10: 0470711779
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-10-18
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Unique collection of material on the issues that affect the health of crew and passengers, offering guidance to airline operators and engineers in the difficult field of legislation and product liability Air Travel and Health provides a detailed examination of issues that affect the long term health of aircrew, cabin crew and passengers, and offers guidance to engineers designing aircraft in the difficult field of legislation and product liability. The authors examine the facts, anecdotes and myths that are associated with health and travel, and draw some balanced conclusions on which the aircraft design and operating community can act to provide costeffective solutions if indeed these exist. They describe the aircraft environment, identify the sources of factors that can damage aircrew health, and relate these to legislation. Each of the factors that can affect health is discussed in terms of its impact on aircrew and consequently on working life and chronic illhealth. The impact of legislation on legacy and new designs is discussed together with mechanisms for reducing risk. Air Travel and Health

Allan Seabridge, Seabridge Systems Ltd, UK
Allan Seabridge is recently retired as Head of Flight Systems Engineering with BAE Systems. He has 36 years experience in aerospace systems engineering, business development and research & development, with major projects worked on including Canberra, Jaguar, Tornado, EAP, Typhoon & Nimrod. Since retiring he has developed an interest in engineering education leading to the design and delivery of systems and engineering courses at a number of UK universities at undergraduate and postgraduate level. He also provides technical consultancy to companies in the aerospace industry.
Allan's interest in the impact of flying on health was initiated by a study he conducted before retiring to ensure that the company had a proven track record in understanding the issues involved. Later tracking of the subject in the press revealed that many travellers claim to suffer from ill health after flying, and this engendered an interest in collating all the records of such claims and looking at the potential impact on aircraft design and of product liability.

Shirley Morgan, UK
Having spent 9 years at BAE Systems at Warton as internal communications manager, Shirley Morgan is a freelance journalist with a broad spread of regular clients for whom she writes and produces material from single articles to whole magazines. Her clients come from many sectors, from higher education to defence and pharmaceuticals, as well as not-for-profit organisations.

Table of Contents

About the Authors	p. xv
Preface	p. xvii
Series Preface	p. xix
Acknowledgements	p. xxi
Acronyms and Abbreviations	p. xxiii
Introduction	p. 1
Factors Affecting Health	p. 2
The System of Interest	p. 2
The Operating Environment	p. 2
The Atmosphere	p. 3
The Aircraft Inhabitants	p. 4
Sources of Environmental Stimuli	p. 5
The Aircraft	p. 6
Military Aircraft	p. 6
Commercial Aircraft	p. 8
Design Considerations	p. 10
Summary	p. 14
References	p. 16
Further Reading	p. 16
Useful Web Sites	p. 16
Some 'Minor' Ailments	p. 17
Introduction	p. 17
Health Information	p. 17
Considering the Whole Trip	p. 18
Some Symptoms Reported by Travellers	p. 18
Health Risks	p. 19
Some Common Conditions of Air Travel	p. 20
General Discomfort	p. 20
Jet Lag (Circadian Dysrhythmia)	p. 21
Fear of Flying (Aerophobia)	p. 23
Discomfort of the Ears	p. 23
References	p. 25
Further Reading	p. 25
Useful Web Sites	p. 26
Air Quality	p. 27
The Environment	p. 28
The Atmosphere	p. 28
Air Quality	p. 28
Cabin Air Supply	p. 29
Sources of Contamination	p. 29
Aircraft Environments	p. 31
Commercial Aircraft	p. 31
Military Aircraft	p. 33
Environmental Control Systems	p. 36
Air Cooling	p. 36
Air Distribution	p. 36
Health Issues	p. 40
Effects of Contamination	p. 41
Aerotoxic Syndrome	p. 41
At Risk on the Ground?	p. 47
Spreading Illness	p. 47
System Implications	p. 48
Contaminants	p. 48
Future Systems	p. 51
Request for Further Information	p. 55
References	p. 56
Further Reading	p. 57
Useful Web Sites	p. 58
Deep Vein Thrombosis	p. 59
Introduction	p. 59
How Common is it?	p. 61
How Long is a Long Flight?	p. 61
The Environment	p. 62
Aircraft Environments	p. 63
Commercial Aircraft	p. 63
Large Military Aircraft	p. 64
Fast-Jet Military Aircraft	p. 67
The System	p. 67
Commercial Aircraft	p. 67
Military Aircraft	p. 68
Health Issues	p. 69
Cabin Altitude and Pressure	p. 70
So Who is at Risk?	p. 71
Summary of Risks	p. 72
System Implications	p. 73
Litigation	p. 73
Preventative Measures	p. 74
Advice to Passengers	p. 74
Continuing Work	p. 76
References	p. 77
Further Reading	p. 78
Useful Web Sites	p. 78
Noise and Vibration	p. 79
The Environment	p. 81
Aircraft Environment	p. 82
Commercial Aircraft	p. 82
Military Aircraft	p. 83
Health Issues	p. 85
Hearing	p. 85
Vibration	p. 85
System Implications	p. 86
Limiting Flying Hours	p. 86
Active Noise Cancellation	p. 87
Microphone Disabling	p. 87
Personal Noise Management	p. 87
Risk Assessment	p. 88
References	p. 88
Further Reading	p. 88
Useful Web Sites	p. 88
Exposure to Radiation	p. 89
The Environment	p. 89
Cosmic Radiation	p. 90
Radiation in Space	p. 92
Non-ionising Radiation	p. 92
The Aircraft Environment	p. 93
Ionising Radiation from Space	p. 93
Non-ionising RF Radiation	p. 94
Understanding the Risk in Commercial Aircraft	p. 97
Understanding the Risk in Military Aircraft	p. 99
Aircraft Systems	p. 100
Health Issues	p. 101
Risk of Cancer	p. 101
Risks to Female Crew Members	p. 103
Risks to Passengers	p. 103
Eye Damage	p. 104
Damage to Life Support Equipment	p. 104
System Implications	p. 104
Legislation	p. 104
Mitigating Action	p. 108
Future Developments	p. 109
References	p. 110
Further Reading	p. 112
Useful Web Sites	p. 112
Back and Neck Pain	p. 113
Back Pain	p. 113
Lower Back Pain	p. 113
Posture	p. 114
Back Pain and Military Aircraft	p. 114
Helicopter Pilots	p. 115
Posture and Pain	p. 117
Neck Strain	p. 120
Commercial Aircraft Issues	p. 122
Flight Attendants	p. 122
Passengers	p. 123
Lumbar Support	p. 123
Advice for Passengers	p. 125
References	p. 126
Further Reading	p. 127
Military Issues	p. 129
The Cockpit Environment	p. 130
Effects of Acceleration	p. 133
Pressure Oxygen Breathing and Hypoxia	p. 136
Hypoxia	p. 136
Decompression Sickness	p. 137
References	p. 137
Further Reading	p. 138
Useful Web Sites	p. 138
Workstation Use	p. 139
The Environment	p. 140
Aircraft Environments	p. 141
Commercial Aircraft	p. 141
Military Aircraft	p. 142
The System	p. 143
Health Issues	p. 146
Sight	p. 146
Posture	p. 147
Back and Neck Pain	p. 147
Vibration	p. 148
System Implications	p. 148
Reference	p. 150
Further Reading	p. 150
Useful Web Sites	p. 150
Regulation and Control of Risks to Health	p. 151
General	p. 151
Legislative Framework	p. 152
Health and Safety	p. 153
EU Legislation	p. 154
Environmental Legislation	p. 156
Air Navigation Order	p. 157
Duty of Care	p. 157
Summary of Legal Threats	p. 157
Criminal Prosecution	p. 157
Civil Lawsuits	p. 158
Customer/Public Relations	p. 158
Issues Arising	p. 158
The Design Process	p. 161
Control of Risk	p. 161
Governance	p. 161
Company Policy	p. 162
Company Procedures	p. 162
Design	p. 162
Standards	p. 162
Good Practice	p. 163
Design and Qualification Process	p. 163
Application	p. 174
Incorporation	p. 175
Operations	p. 175
Feedback	p. 175
Public Comment	p. 176
Complaints	p. 176
Litigation	p. 176
Reference	p. 177
Summary and Conclusions	p. 179
Integration Effects	p. 180
Predisposition	p. 182
The Travel Experience	p. 183
Genetic Factors	p. 183
Public Health	p. 183
Domestic Circumstances	p. 183
Carrying and Lifting	p. 184
Do-It-Yourself (DIY)	p. 184
Noisy Pursuits	p. 184
Lifestyle Factors	p. 184
Water Sports	p. 185
Obesity	p. 185
Comparison with General Public Health Conditions	p. 185
Sick Building Syndrome	p. 185
Myalgic Encephalomyletis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)	p. 186
WiFi Sensitivity	p. 187
Electrical Power Line Sensitivity	p. 188
New Car Syndrome	p. 189
Household and Industrial Cleaning Products	p. 190
Discussion	p. 191
Serious Conditions	p. 191
Advice to Industry	p. 191
Processes and Procedures	p. 192
Independent Medical Advice	p. 193
Research	p. 193
Seeing the 'Big Picture'	p. 193
Advice to Operators	p. 195
Promote Awareness	p. 195
Independent Medical Advice	p. 195
Research	p. 195
Advice to Travellers	p. 195
Obtain Medical Advice	p. 196
Improve Awareness	p. 196
What Can Be Done?	p. 199
Finally	p. 204
References	p. 204
Further Reading	p. 205
Useful Web Sites	p. 205
Bibliography	p. 207
Index	p. 217
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