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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> Short-haul flights are usually pressurized at 5,000 to 6,000 feet while long-haul flights are closer to 8,000 feet, according to Thibeault.
But acute mountain sickness, which can involve headache, nausea and vomiting, can occur at altitudes of 6,500 feet and higher.
The authors of the study wanted to see, among other things, if airplane travelers were prone to mountain sickness.
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To that end, 502 adult volunteers participated in a 20-hour simulated flight to determine the effect of barometric pressures equivalent to altitudes of 650, 4,000, 6,000, 7,000 and 8,000 feet above sea level on arterial oxygen saturation and the occurrence of acute mountain sickness and discomfort.
Mean oxygen saturation went down as the altitude increased, eventually reaching a maximum decrease of 4.4 percentage points at 8,000 feet.
Acute mountain sickness occurred in 7.4 percent of participants, but the incidence did not vary between the different altitudes.
Discomfort rose with increasing altitude and was greater at 7,000 to 8,000 feet than at all the other altitudes combined. Discomfort became apparent 3 to 9 hours into the "flight."
Older people (over 60) were less likely to report discomfort than younger people, and men seemed more affected than women.
"There were no health effects, but the discomfort was there," Thibeault said. "What they were trying to do in this study is isolate one factor, which is altitude, so you can't blame these effects on other factors."
Next week, Boeing plans to launch its newest aircraft, the 787, with cabins pressurized to 6,000 feet.
"The 787 is one of our first airplanes with the fuselage made out of composites rather than aluminum, a structure that allows us to pressurize to 6,000 feet," said Jeanne Yu, director of environmental performance for Boeing. "The findings of this study, as well as the development of materials technology, enable us to fly the 787."
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