Effects of increased recirculation air rate and aircraft cabin occupancy on passengers’ health and well-being – Results from a randomized controlled trial

• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114770
• Publication Date: 2022-11-09T07:18:09Z
• Authors: Britta Herbig; Victor Norrefeldt; Florian Mayer; Anna Reichherzer; Fang Lei; Pawel Wargocki
• Keywords: Occupancy

Aircraft cabins are special environments. Passengers sit in close proximity a space with low pressure that they cannot leave. The cabin is ventilated mixture of outside and recirculated air. volume air impacts the carbon footprint flying. Higher recirculation rates could be considered to save energy divert less kerosene from producing thrust.To investigate whether higher aircraft negatively affect passengers' health well-being if occupancy plays role this.In 2 (occupancy: full half-occupied) X 4 (ventilation regime) factorial design stratified randomization, participants were exposed an segment low-pressure tube during 4-h simulated flight. Ventilation regimes consisted increasing proportions up maximum CO2 concentration 4200 ppm. Participants rated comfort, symptoms, sleepiness multiple times. Heart rate (variability), as stress marker, was measured continuously.559 persons representative flight passengers regarding age (M = 42.7, SD 15.9) sex (283 men) participated. ANCOVA results showed hardly any effect both factors on self-reported strong main effects comfort measures, interaction for physiological parameters: half-occupied reacted increased show overall more favorable responses. fully occupied reported had reactions when high.This large-scale RCT shows importance occupancy, previously neglected factor indoor research. other people seems increase exacerbate quality. Further studies causal pathways needed determine can reduce flying without detrimental passengers.