First Lady Michelle Obama shares tips on parenting with moms and other audience members in a WebMD Town Hall meeting in Miami, Florida.
Information and Resources
This article is from the WebMD Feature Archive
Will Airplane Air Make Me Sick?
No, says our expert. But proximity to the other passengers very well might.
Reviewed by
Laura J. Martin, MD
In every issue of WebMD the Magazine, we ask experts to answer readers' questions about a wide range of topics, including some of the oldest and most cherished medical myths out there. For our May 2011 issue, we asked David Freedman, MD, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a board member of the International Society of Travel Medicine, about the widespread belief that airplane air has lots of germs.
Q: Is it a myth that airplane air can make people sick?
A: Lots of people believe this, but it's actually FALSE.
Here's why: Airplane cabins come equipped with HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters that are as good "as those found in isolation units in hospitals," Freedman says. "And viruses and bacteria are big enough that they are trapped in those filters."
The health risk with airplane travel, Freedman says, "isn't the recirculated air. It's the people sitting next to you." That's because when people cough and sneeze, the droplets can travel 3 to 6 feet in any direction.
What to do? Try to move your seat if you discover that someone sitting near you is sick. Of course, all those germ-laden droplets also land on trays, window shades, seats, and surfaces in the bathroom. So be double sure to wash your hands, "especially before you eat," Freedman advises. "Bacteria and viruses can live for hours -- and in some cases, days -- on inanimate objects."
Top 12 Health Topics-
1.
-
2.
-
3.
-
4.
-
5.
-
6.
-
7.
-
8.
-
9.
-
10.
-
11.
-
12.
Top 12 Videos-
1.
-
2.
-
3.
-
4.
-
5.
-
6.
-
7.
-
8.
-
9.
-
10.
-
11.
-
12.
Hot Topics
- Which Drugstore Tooth Whiteners Work Best?
- Kids' Top 6 Worries and How to Fix Them
- Surprising Headache Triggers
- Safe Ways to Lose Weight Fast
- Counting Carbs When You Use Insulin
- Fibromyalgia: Symptoms and Treatments
- CML: How It Affects Your Body
- 6 Sex Mistakes Men Make
- Dupuytren's Contracture: What You Need to Know
- Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
WebMD Video: Now Playing
FROM CBS NEWS
Third of malaria meds from Asia, Africa are fake
Almost half of malaria medications in southeast Asia and over a third from sub-Saharan Africa were packaged poorly, including some expired drugs that had been repackaged
More from CBS News:
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Advertise With Us|WebMD Corporate|Medscape Reference|eMedicineHealth|RxList|Medscape|MedicineNet|BootsWebMD
©2005-2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.