{"id":22436,"date":"2020-09-15T12:11:27","date_gmt":"2020-09-15T16:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/?p=22436"},"modified":"2021-12-13T09:20:27","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T14:20:27","slug":"will-i-get-sick-from-recycled-air-on-an-airplane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/will-i-get-sick-from-recycled-air-on-an-airplane\/","title":{"rendered":"Will I get sick from recycled air on an airplane?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Those of us who have done a number of trips can probably remember getting a cold or flu after travelling.&nbsp; The most memorable part of the journey was your return flight, and so it\u2019s often blamed as the cause of getting sick.&nbsp; There would have been many places throughout your journey where the potential for infection could be transmitted from one human to another, but it was <strong>not due to recycled air on board<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Better than most Operating Rooms at 10-12 times per hour or more<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People think because an aircraft is pressurized, that the same air is recirculated during the flight.&nbsp;&nbsp; In fact, on jet aircraft, the air is replaced ten to twelve times per hour.&nbsp; Existing operating rooms are required to replace air six times per hour, and new facilities are required to replace it twelve times per hour.&nbsp; Air Canada reports replacement every 2-3 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fresh air flows into the airplane fuselage and mixes with air recycled in the cabin.&nbsp; Obviously, it is not possible to bring entirely fresh air in, but the consistent flow of fresh air in and venting out mixes with the recycled air to maintain freshness.&nbsp; When you reach above your head to open the air vent in the ceiling, you can feel the coldness of the air.&nbsp; In part, this is because a portion is fresh air coming from the chilly outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a video that explains the full air circulation on aircraft.&nbsp; If you can put up with the computer-generated voice, it offers a thorough explanation of how the air is circulated on an airplane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Understanding How HEPA Filters and Air Conditioning System Provide Clean &amp; Safe Air in an Aircraft!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xdRrov9VM8Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jet aircraft are equipped with HEPA filters that are also used in hospitals, Dyson vacuum cleaners and your home furnace, to name a few.&nbsp; They cycle air every few minutes and capture 99.97% of airborne particles greater than 0.3 microns in size. A human hair is a whopping 20 microns! We asked Air Canada how long HEPA filter technology has been in use on board their aircraft.&nbsp; We were curious to see if this was only on new aircraft or something that was installed after COVID or even SARS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Turns out HEPA filters have been used on board jet aircraft since the early 1990s.&nbsp; We asked if there had been any improvement of cabin air quality since then.&nbsp; Air Canada responded saying that the biggest improvement in cabin air quality was the introduction of the 787.&nbsp; The composite material does not rust which allowed for higher humidity levels, but this has more to do with reducing dehydration than particle reduction.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 80-90 seat Q400 turboprop has HEPA filters installed and the Canadian Regional Jet (Bombardier) uses 100% fresh air with no recycled air.<br>Notably missing from the list of aircraft with HEPA filters is the turboprop commuter fleet (Dash 8) used for short one-hour journeys, although after-market filters are now available for installation by airlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here is a video provided by Air Canada on how the HEPA filter works<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Understanding HEPA filters with Air Canada\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/06eWddXMOz0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Human to Human Contact spreads infection<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not the airplane.&nbsp; Or travel in and of itself.&nbsp; While travel can spread geography of infection it does nothing to accelerate actual transmission between humans.&nbsp; The genie is out of the bottle in terms of geographic spread of the SARS2 Coronavirus.&nbsp; The asymptomatic spread of this infection is what makes prevention by travel bans a futile exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only by reducing human to human contact, whether in your local community, or anywhere, will the rate of transmission of this virus slow.&nbsp; HEPA filters, temperature checks, mask wearing, fogging aircraft, and more vigilance in cleaning between aircraft turnaround will all help reduce the spread of infection while flying.&nbsp; It\u2019s the human behaviour that is harder to control, and while we cannot control others, we can control our own behaviour.&nbsp; This includes wearing gloves while touching screens or while visiting the onboard washroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>More likely reasons people got sick after a trip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lack of sleep is a big factor in diminishing one\u2019s immune system.&nbsp; If you stayed up late the night before a trip, got up in the wee hours of the morning for an early flight, or flew transatlantic without sleeping, this will affect your ability to fight off infection.&nbsp; Replenishing lost sleep is important \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/how-to-avoid-jet-lag\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">read our blog on reducing jet lag<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In \u201cnormal times\u201d we were not thrilled about getting sneezed on by the person next to us on a plane.&nbsp; Or, the constant din of coughing sounds you heard while flying.&nbsp; These experiences are history now with temperature checks and pre-screening questionnaires.&nbsp; In the past, you\u2019d lose all your money if you cancelled due to a cold or feeling under the weather.&nbsp; Liberal change policies and \u2018cancel with credit\u2019 has eliminated the need to soldier on while not feeling well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you were handed an iPad for entertainment on a flight in the past, it was often a greasy mess of fingerprints \u2013 one could only imagine what was on those iPads.&nbsp; Beyond the flight, you were travelling exploring cities, eating in restaurants (and touching menus), visiting sketchy washrooms in private establishments, having a drink in a pub, using public transit \u2013 double-decker buses, rail, taxis or visiting busy indoor places such as museums and shopping malls.&nbsp; How about lining up and knocking elbows at buffets?&nbsp; But of course, the most memorable time was the few hours on the return flight home which often \u201cgot the blame\u201d for the cold or flu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Other Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.readersdigest.ca\/travel\/travel-tips\/recirculated-air-on-airplanes\/\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.readersdigest.ca\/travel\/travel-tips\/recirculated-air-on-airplanes\/\">The Truth About Recirculated Air on Airplanes<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2020\/05\/18\/airplanes-dont-make-you-sick-really\/\">https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2020\/05\/18\/airplanes-dont-make-you-sick-really\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/19076326\/\">https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/19076326\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Those of us who have done a number of trips can probably remember getting a cold or flu after travelling.&nbsp; The most memorable part of the journey was your return flight, and so it\u2019s often blamed as the cause of getting sick.&nbsp; There would have been many places throughout your journey where the potential for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":22446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no"},"categories":[183,181],"tags":[3732,3721,3571,3733,3535,3537,3731,3730,3737,3735,3734,3736],"modified_by":"tripcentral","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22436"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22436"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22788,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22436\/revisions\/22788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}