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June 2, 2010 | How air travel can harm your health | Melbourne: Falling luggage, toxic cabin air and dirty water - these are just some of the ways in which air travel can harm your health. Travellers face a range of potential health hazards from the moment they step into the airport and here are just some of the potential problems awaiting
you every time you fly: Turbulence troubles Turbulence causes serious injuries
including broken bones and head trauma every year, according to Australian Transport
Safety Bureau records. Struck by falling luggage Luggage falling from overhead
lockers is another common cause of mid-air pain, with injuries ranging from cuts
and bruises to severe head trauma. "There is compelling evidence that flight attendants
and passengers are being injured by excess amounts of oversized carry-on items,"
the Daily Telegraph quoted US Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International
President Patricia Friend as saying. Full-body scanner cancer link Some scientists
fear radiation from the controversial "naked" full-body airport scanners has been
dangerously underestimated and could increase the risk of skin cancer. University
of California biochemist David Agard has said that unlike other scanners, the
radiation from these devices is delivered at low energy beam levels, with most
of the dose concentrated in the skin and underlying tissue. David Brenner, the
head of Columbia University 's Centre for Radiological Research, says the radiation
dose to the skin is actually 20 times higher than the official estimate. Toxic
cabin air Breathing contaminated air cause can cause drowsiness, headaches, respiratory
problems or neurological illnesses. A 2009 investigation into some of the world's
most popular airlines found high levels of a toxin found in modern jet oil fuel
inside the cabins. Ear damage fears Pain, bleeding and even a ruptured eardrum
can happen to passengers experiencing changes in air pressure during flight. The
problem happens if the air pressure in the middle ear and sinuses becomes much
higher or lower than the surrounding pressure, warned the Aerospace Medical Association.
This can happen if you have a blockage of any of the passageways caused by infection,
allergy or bleeding. Airports a 'hotbed of germs' Before even stepping on the
plane travellers are at risk of falling ill because of "filthy" airports. Transmission
of cold, viruses The spread of colds and flu continues onboard, with a 2004 study
finding that travellers are about 100 times more likely to catch a cold on a plane
than they are in normal daily life. Blood clot risks An increased risk of deep
vein thrombosis in air travellers has been widely reported and a recent US study
has strengthened the case. Researchers found that travel was associated with a
nearly three-fold increase in the risk of developing blood clots in the veins,
especially in the legs. If the clot dislodges and travels to the lungs it can
cause a potentially fatal condition called a pulmonary embolism with the clot
risk growing with the length of the trip. Water warnings Cabin crew have warned
travellers to avoid drinking water from aircraft taps. Radiation from lightning
Lightning or the related phenomena of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes could expose
airline passengers to levels of radiation equivalent to 400 chest X-rays, according
to estimates by a study in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres. |
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