Skin oil -- ozone interactions worsen air quality in...(els frequently topping more than 500 par...)

Date:9/5/2007

els, frequently topping more than 500 parts per billion (ppb). According to FAA regulations, cabin ozone levels should not exceed 250 ppb at any time flying above 32,000 feet or average more than 100 ppb during any 4-hour flight segment that includes cruising at or above 27,000 feet.

Most wide-body planes are equipped with ozone-destroying catalysts in their ventilation systems, according to study co-author William Nazaroff, Ph.D., of the University of California, Berkeley. However, these catalysts are far less common on narrow-body aircraft. As a result, ozone in the cabin air of narrow-body planes can exceed ozone levels in Washington, D.C., on a smoggy day, Weschler said.

In fact, the study, which was supported by the FAA and the Danish Technical Research Council, could help scientists better understand the adverse effects of ground-level ozone, an important component of urban and regional air pollution. Although this work was done in a simulated aircraft, the results certainly have implications beyond that, Weschler said. Any time you have a situation with high-occupant densities and elevated concentrations of ozone, the same kind of chemistry is going to occur.

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Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 202-872-4400 American Chemical Society Source:Eurekalert

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