A Controlled Exposure Study of Self-report Symptoms in Response to Organic Compound Mixtures Typical of Aircraft Cabin Environments'

摘要

Numerous organic compounds have been identified within passenger cabins of commercial aircraft. Surveys of crew and passengers flying on planes and in simulated flights have identified symptoms to include ocular and respiratory irritation, headaches, fatigue and dizziness, and decreased comfort within the cabin environment. Conditions within the cabin environment may contribute to these symptoms such as low relative humidity, cabin pressurization equivalent to 8,000' altitude, spending extended time in an enclosed environment, and mixtures of organic compounds arising from the passengers and products within the cabin. Prior to the development of purification systems to improve cabin air quality, the organic compounds contributing to reported symptoms must be identified. Therefore in a within subjects repeated measures study, 44 healthy, female subjects, age 18-35, rated symptoms and environmental qualities at baseline prior to exposure, 10 minutes after exposure onset and at 1,3,5 and 7 hours during exposure in a "simulated aircraft environment". Subjects were exposed once to each of the following chemical mixtures over a 4-week period: long chain carbonyls, compounds associated with bioeffluents, short chain carbonyls/organic acids, and filtered air. Controlling for baseline differences, subjects reported significantly greater severity of symptoms (e.g., eyeose irritation, dryness), greater odor intensity, and worse air quality at 5 and 7 hours during the bioeffluent and short chain carbonyls/organic acids conditions relative to the filtered air condition. Few symptom or environmental quality differences were observed for the long chain carbonyls relative to filtered air conditions. The design of this study allowed differentiation of immediate symptoms that declined overtime from symptoms that persisted throughout the exposure period. The implications of these findings for the aircraft cabin environment will be discussed.