Can logging too many frequent flyer miles be bad for your health?

by Rigel Celeste (Subscribe to Rigel Celeste's posts)
Jan 24th 2007 11:52AM

This post is not about the end of a study, but about the beginning of one. As of now there is no data on record to suggest that flying frequently has any negative health consequences, but there are many instances of airplane passengers and crew members complaining of ailments like headaches and dry eyes. So many, in fact, that the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers is launching a 2 year study to look at links between aircraft cabin air and crew/passenger complaints of discomfort.

Two years is a long wait, and the experts don't have much to say in the way of coping suggestions in the meantime. Try keeping to your schedule as much as possible, drink lots of water, and put a wet handkerchief over your mouth if it's dry. Other than that, apparently your guess is as good as anyone else's.

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Sleepfreak 1-24-2007 @ 12:39PM

i am an out of state college student...meaning i go to college outside of the state in which i call home. i fly quite frequently between going home/to school and on family vacations. my first reaction to this is pretty much duh! of course there is going to be at least a small negative effect. putting 300 people in an enclosed small space for any period of time is going to result in a huge breeding ground for germs and bacteria. especially as more flights are cancelled and less fly, the amount of time spent cleaning the cabin between each flight is becoming less, and therefore, there are more germs left from flight to flight. also, even in a pressurized cabin, there is still pressure put on the body that is not equal to what is "normal". therefore those who spend alot of time in the air, i.e. flight attendants, captains, etc. are going to have some effect from it. i cannot wait though for the results, just cause i find suc things interesting.