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Measurements of indoor air quality on commercial transport aircraft.

Waters MA; Bloom TF; Grajewski B; Deddens J

Indoor Air 2002 Jun; :782-787

http://www.indair.org/index_files/Page325.htm

20033873

Exposures to cabin environmental contaminants were measured on 36 commercial transport aircraft. The objectives were to characterize levels of contaminants and evaluate the relationship between flight factors such as aircraft size, occupancy, ventilation, and flight length, and environmental parameters. Monitoring was conducted at two coach locations for the duration of the flight for VOCs, nitrogen oxides, CO, CO2, O3, temperature, relative humidity, total particulates, and barometric pressure. Five-minute average concentration ranges were: CO2 515-4902 ppm; O3 <0.05-0.24 ppm; CO <0.2-2.9 ppm; nitrogen oxides <0.05-2.0 ppm; and total particulates <0.028-0.197 mg/m^3, Gate-to-gate average concentrations of VOCs were: toluene <3-130 ppb, limonene <3-12 ppb, arid ethanol <0.8-2.4 ppb. Carbon dioxide exposures were highest on shorter and high-occupancy flights, aircraft with greater recirculated-to-fresh-air ratio, and narrow-bodied aircraft. In general, contaminant levels were low compared to standards. Carbon dioxide levels indicated lower ventilation rates per occupant than most other indoor environments.

Ventilation-systems; Particulates; Aerosols; Sampling; Air-samples; Organic-compounds; Organic-dusts; Air-quality-measurement; Air-quality-monitoring; Air-transportation; Airborne-particles

124-38-9; 630-08-0; 10028-15-6; 108-88-3; 5989-27-5

20020630

Conference/Symposia Proceedings

mwaters@cdc.gov

2002

DSHEFS

Indoor Air 2002, Proceedings: 9th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, Montery, California, June30-July 5, 2002

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