Jerry Nadler: “have you noticed that you tend to get sick every time you fly? Many of us who are frequent flyers, know that the air on…”

“have you noticed that you tend to get sick every time you fly? Many of us who are frequent flyers, know that the air on commercial flights is stale and poorly ventilated, and in some cases, it really does seem to make you ill. Though hundreds of flight crewmembers have reported hundreds of separate incidents of unexplained headaches, blurred vision and other health problems, no one has closely looked into this problem. Health risks associated with poor air quality in airplanes include exposure to toxins, airborne viruses, and ozone. These risks are worsened by the fact that passengers do not breathe fresh air on flights, but instead inhale re-circulated ``bleed air'' that passes through the engine. Passengers should be able to feel confident that they are not endangering their health when they fly to visit friends and relatives or as they arrive and depart from business trips. Airline industry workers should not feel their health is threatened as they earn a living. We must learn the nature and extent of the health risks that are associated with poor cabin air quality so that the problem can be corrected. After learning of the potentially dangerous health risks for frequent flyers and flight crewmembers, I urged the AIR-21 conferees during negotiations to include a study of the air quality on commercial flights in this bill.”