Recently, NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard, testified before the House Subcommittee on Aviation concerning aircraft cabin environments. The aircraft cabin represents a unique occupational setting given its high occupant density, low ventilation rates per occupant, reduced air pressure, and shift lengths for flight crews that may exceed fourteen hours.

Recognizing the need to study the potential health effects from exposures in such a setting, NIOSH has played a key role in working with other federal agencies and industry to identify areas of concern and make recommendations for their resolution. Currently, NIOSH is working on several studies related to cabin air quality and assisting CDC in the development of computer simulations to determine how diseases are transmitted in cabins, the creation of an informative video on SARS to be shown on flights from affected areas, and the effects of cosmic radiation exposure on flight crews.

Information at www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/enewsV1N4.html#sars.