more air travel risks

["Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj@aecl.ca>]

...after crashes, cosmic radiation exposure an highjacking, now there's risk
of DVT. 
Comment :  wonder whether your risk of DVT increases if you're one of those
who brings along a lead blanket to protect against cosmic rays ? ( please
send me $$$ so that I may conduct a study...)
Jaro
frantaj@aecl.ca

Posted at http://www.thestar.com/editorial/news/20001024NEW03d_PLANE.html
October 24, 2000
`Economy class syndrome' death sparks outcry 
Cramped seating on planes poses risk of fatal blood clots 

By Mike Collett-White -- Reuters News Agency
LONDON - International airlines were under fire yesterday about ``economy
class syndrome,'' the risk of potentially fatal blood clots caused by
cramped conditions on long haul flights. 
The calls for more safeguards followed the death of 28-year-old Briton Emma
Christoffersen, who collapsed in the arrival hall of Heathrow airport after
arriving on a Qantas flight after visiting the Olympic Games in Australia. 
The sales assistant complained of feeling unwell on the last part of the
19,000-kilometre trip in September and died before reaching the hospital. 
The story hit headlines yesterday, and newspapers focused on the young age
and apparent good health of the bride-to-be. 
Christoffersen had developed deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot in the
leg, often associated with long-distance flights, which can dislodge and
move to the lung or to the heart, occasionally killing the victim. 
Australia's flagship carrier Qantas Airways defended its safety record,
saying the hazards of sitting in one position for a long time were flagged
in inflight journals and on videos. 
But Christoffersen's mother Ruth said it was not enough. 
``I think more preventative measures should be taken,'' she told Reuters by
telephone from her home in Wales, England. 
``The airlines say that they put this information in the inflight magazines,
but who reads the inflight magazine?'' 
Farrol Kahn, director of the Health Aviation Institute, said DVT was a
common problem often ignored by the big international airlines who service
long haul routes. 
``There are 30,000 people in the United Kingdom who suffer from air-related
blood clots,'' he said. ``The airlines should label their product just like
anyone else and warn of the risks on the actual ticket.'' 
The institute also suggested handing out Aspirins which could cut down the
risks of DVT by as much as a third. 
Kahn added the number of DVT cases had risen as airlines cut the space
between rows of seats, or the ``pitch,'' in economy class in order to pack
in more passengers. 
But a spokesperson for British Airways said that people suffered from blood
clotting in all sections of aircraft, and handing out Aspirins to travellers
could pose a risk in itself. 
``The advice is there and we try to get the balance between getting it
across to people and avoiding over-dramatizing the situation,'' he said,
adding the condition also occurred in other forms of travel, including cars
and trains. 
Kahn said British Airways had cut the pitch of its economy seats to 79
centimetres from 91 before it was privatized. 
Qantas' pitch is slightly larger at 81 centimetres, and British media said
the space ranged widely from 71 to 86 centimetres. 
There is no regulatory requirement in Canada to warn passengers about blood
clot dangers but customers can try to pre-book seats that offer more room,
such as those at cabin bulkheads or exits. 
``We do recognize that travelling can be mentally and physically stressful
for travellers,'' said Air Canada spokesperson Laura Cooke told The Star's
Nicholas Keung. 
``It is not much different than driving in your car for eight hours without
getting up and stretching.'' 
Air Canada airs a video series inflight to help educate passengers on the
importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle while travelling. 
``It highlights the things that can be done in your seat to stretch muscles
or improve circulations,'' Cooke explained. ``Long term immobility is a
contributor to blood clots, not flying per se.'' 
Long-haul travellers most at risk are the elderly, overweight, pregnant
women, those with a history of DVT and passengers travelling economy class,
doctors said. 


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