A causal link is unlikely between exposure to cabin/cockpit air contaminants and reported health symptoms, according to a study for the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which said the quality of cabin and cockpit air is at least as good as the air in “normal indoor environments.”
The study — conducted for EASA by the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine and the Hannover Medical School and released in March1 — said in-flight air measurements found that the air quality resembled that of air found in offices, schools and homes.
The findings were based on measurements taken during 69 flights between July 2015 and June 2016 in eight types of aircraft/engine configurations; 61 of these flights were in airplanes with engine bleed air systems and the remaining eight were in Boeing 787s with “bleed-free” electrical compressors.
Two sets of measurement equipment were installed — one on the flight deck and the other in the cabin …
