"Ultrafine particles are impossible to see and are often missed by conventional monitoring techniques, and therefore they are not covered by air pollution laws. In 2021, the Dutch Health Council and the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the growing evidence that ultrafine particles are damaging our health. This includes 75 studies, mostly relating to lung inflammation, blood pressure and heart problems, along with risks to foetal growth. Technical differences between the studies, however, meant that the WHO was unable to set a standard."
"Ultrafine particle pollution in the cabin was very low when aircraft were at cruise altitude in relatively clean air. On the ground, however, it was a different matter. In the new study, the greatest concentrations of ultrafine particles were measured when passengers were boarding and when aircraft were taxiing. On average, the levels were more than twice those that the WHO defines as high."
A pack of instruments was flown alongside passengers from Paris Charles de Gaulle to European destinations, placed on an empty seat in the front rows or in the galley. Ultrafine particles are invisible and often missed by conventional monitoring, so they are not covered by air pollution laws. WHO and the Dutch Health Council cited evidence linking ultrafine particles to lung inflammation, blood pressure and heart problems, and risks to foetal growth, but technical differences prevented a WHO standard. Long-term exposure has been linked to early deaths including lung cancer. Cabin ultrafine levels were very low at cruise in clean air, highest during boarding and taxiing—on average more than twice WHO "high" levels—then reduced airborne but rose again on approach. Black carbon showed a similar airport-associated pattern.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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