USA TODAY's front-page story on airline smoking brings up interesting observations
("Fliers are lighting up without consequence," Cover story, News, Tuesday, April 25).
First of all, smoking was banned on all U. S. airline flights of 2 hours or less in 1987. This
change of law was an attachment to an appropriations bill passed by Congress, with no
public debate.
In 1971, studies by the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Public Health Service
revealed very low levels of contaminates on planes, and these contaminates were not judged
to represent a hazard to non-smoking passengers from smoking passengers. This was back in
the days when politics didn't run science.
The U.S. Department of Transportation, in December 1989, commissioned and submitted
a report studying the dangers of tobacco smoke on airplanes -- almost two years after the
ban.
What were the findings?
The amount of nicotine measured in the air was half the concentration in the middle of the
non-smoking section on a smoking flight than on a comparable smoke-free flight. How is this
possible? Ventilation.
When smoking was a normal occurrence on airlines, the ventilation on airplanes reflected
that. On average, the air was recirculated every 6 minutes.
Now the air is recirculated every 12 or more minutes.
Why? Because the airlines save energy and fuel.
But the air is less clean, fresh and breathable now than it was when smoking was allowed.
The health concerns that were, in some people's opinion, caused by smoking and led to
the decision to ban it, are still present and worse than ever. These include eye, nose and
throat irritations, nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, shortness of breath, heart palpitations,
headaches, fatigue and asthmatic attacks.
The "harm" of secondhand smoke always has been "debatable" anyway.
Just because the government and anti-smokers take it seriously doesn't mean that your
average flight attendant and crew will.
Believe it or not, the skies were a much safer and healthier place when smoking was
allowed.
In other words, smoking could be allowed again, air circulation could be increased
to pre-ban levels, and we would all be better off.
Pickrell is the President and Founder of Smokers Fighting Discrimination, Inc. Katy, Texas and Vice-president of Texas Smokers Rights Assoc., Austin, Texas
Contact Info:
Smokers Fighting Discrimination, Inc.
P.O. Box 5472
Katy,TX 77491
Phone/Fax: 281-347-8780
E-mail: sfdsmoke@hal-pc.org
Web Page: http://www.geocities.com/sfd-usa