Virus risk ‘very low’ on airliner–study
Masks, airplane filters, ventilation systems help limit level of transmission
WASHINGTON— Masks, airplane filters, fast circulation and ventilation systems lower the risk of being infected by the coronavirus on an airliner, according to a study by the US military on longhaul flights. Researchers estimate that to receive an infectious dose, a passenger would have to fly 54 hours on a plane with an infected person, and that the risks on 12-hour flights are negligible.
WASHINGTON— The risk of being infected with the coronavirus on an airliner is very low if passengers wear masks, according to a study carried out aboard Boeing long-haul jets by the US military and published Thursday.
Researchers using sensors and fluorescent tracers measured the volume of airborne contagious matter emitted by a dummy simulating an infected person breathing normally.
When a seated passenger is wearing a mask, an average 0.003 percent of air particles within the breathing zone around a person’s head are infectious, even when every seat is occupied, it found.
The passengers most exposed to the infected person— those just in front of, behind or beside the dummy—were represented in the study by the sensors.
Some 300 test rounds were carried out on the ground and in flight over the course of eight straight days in August.
The study, conducted aboard United Airlines Boeing 777 and 767 aircraft, showed that masks helped minimize exposure to infection when someone coughed, even in neighboring seats.
Efficient air filtration
About 99.99 percent of particles were filtered out of the cabin within six minutes due to fast air circulation, downward air ventilation and the filtration systems on the aircraft.
It estimated that to receive an infectious dose, a passenger would need to fly 54 hours on a plane with an infectious person.
The results prompted US military transport officials to conclude that even on a full plane, the level of transmission over 12 hours of flight was negligible.
However, the tests only looked at a scenario involving a single infected passenger. They also assumed that everyone on the plane wore a mask continuously, and did not address a scenario in which an infected person walks around the cabin of the plane.
“While the tests did have some limitations,” said Commander Joe Pope, the US Transportation Command operations directorate liaison for the testing, “the results are encouraging.”