ASHRAE publishes the first air quality standard for an aircraft cabin

United States. Proper air quality is essential for health and well-being indoors. Recognizing this, most people are taking steps to address the issue of air quality in their homes and offices. However, until now there was no control in places like airplanes, a space in which passengers have no possibility to modify air conditions. Therefore, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) addresses this issue in its new regulation 161-2007, Air Quality in Commercial Aircraft.

The term indoor air is generally related to spaces such as office buildings, public buildings (schools, hospitals, theaters, restaurants, etc.) and homes, so many of the efforts for people to have quality air focus on such establishments; however, airplanes, enclosed spaces in which a considerable number of people are concentrated and in which the air is recirculated, are presented as a field worthy of research in terms of indoor air quality, especially taking into account the particularities of this space, as ASHRAE did in its regulations 161-2007.

The report that includes issues such as temperature, cabin pressure, air pollutants, and ventilation speed can be adopted voluntarily by airlines, by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or if requested from airlines by passengers and groups of company employees.

"Compliance with this standard will go a long way toward ensuring good air quality for passengers and crew," says Byron Jones, chair of the committee tasked with writing the regulations. "Aircraft users cover a wide range of the population, from children to the elderly, from healthy people to sick, and unlike other enclosed spaces the occupants do not have the possibility of leaving the place where they are, in addition it is at a lower pressure and higher humidity than other environments," he added.

The document also addresses chemical, physical and biological pollutants that can affect air quality. Evaluation methods are provided to ensure compliance with the requirements of standard 161. This is applicable to commercial flights of 20 or more passengers. It is expected that it can be applied to all phases of flight operations and ground operations if the aircraft is occupied.

Author: J. ALEJANDRA GARCIA