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| "'Ask the pilot for more air if you have difficulty
breathing or thinking. It could mean you're not getting enough
oxygen,' suggests Diana Fairechild" -USA Today |
| "Hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation in the central
nervous system, can occur when not enough air is put into the
cabins, says Diana Fairechild." -Earth Journal |
| "Fairechild discusses what passengers can do to
increase the oxygen levels and reduce exposure to toxic chemicals
and infectious agents." -Art Bell, Coast to CoastAM |
| "According to Fairechild, flying first-class is
not about gourmet meals anymore--it's about air. Passengers in
first class, she alleges, get approximately three times more oxygen
per person than do those in economy." - Priorities |
| "The situation is too tight, too crowded, and too
impersonal," Fairechild said. "The seats are too small,
they're too close together, and there isn't enough oxygen."
-Investor's Business Daily |
| "The thing I enjoy only slightly less than a tooth
extraction is flying... Fairechild, still perky after what amounts
to 300 circumnavigations of the globe, said that the mostly non-lethal
dangers of air travel amount to one of the great unexplored environmental
health issues of the day...Considering how many of us this affects,
this lone voice is well worth hearing." -John Bogert, Copley
Newspapers |
| "Diana Fairechild, a highly respected consumer
advocate for the flying public, says there is 'no quick fix for
all the symptoms of jetlag because of all the different causes
-- shifts in time, alterations in magnetic fields, modifications
in climate, and diversitites in cultures. Flying in commercial
jets, we're deprived of air and humidity while exposed to recycled
germs and chemicals, radiation, pesticides, and noise.'"
-Ambassadair Travel Club |
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DEAR DIANA
I am a mother
of three, and it always bothers me when I hear the emergency
announcements on airplanes telling us to grab our own oxygen
masks before we assist our children. Children seem so much more
vulnerable than adults. I believe a child would certainly stop
breathing in an emergency before an adult! Unless you can explain
this to me, I don't plan to follow the instructions they give
on airplanes. -Joan
DIANA RESPONDS
Dear Joan
I am glad you
wrote to me when you felt the emergency instructions on your
flight were incomplete. It is my impression that the airlines
deliberately offer instructions this way to avoid scaring passengers.
If a depressurization
occurs on board (when oxygen becomes scarce on a flight), we
have only about "18 seconds of useful consciousness."
"Useful
consciousness" is the time before physical and mental functioning
deteriorates to the point where we cannot take care of ourselves.
Obviously, if a parent loses useful consciousness, she won't
be able to take care of her child.
A doctor explained
to me that if children lose consciousness, they normally have
three to seven minutes in which they can be revived without lasting
side effects.
So, on an airplane, when the parent generally has 18 seconds
to figure it all out, the math makes sense for the parent to
put on her mask first and then attend to her child.
ENVIRONMENTAL
STRESS
Loss of what
the airlines call "useful consciousness" is individual
and contingent upon:
-The type of
depressurization (slow or rapid)
-The altitude of the flight
-The other environmental stressors en route include radiation,
pesticides, length of flight, hour of departure, departure location,
and more.
-Each passenger's overall constitution and well being on the
day of travel
REST BEFORE
FLYING
Arrive at your
flight with a good night's sleep under your belt. In the event
of a catastrophic occurrence, this could mean a few extra seconds
of useful consciousness. And let's face it -- a good night's
sleep will give you more useful consciousness, anyway.
MORE TIPS
-What helps
many of us to muster peace of mind when considering these alarming
contingencies is preparation -- e.g., rehearse the situation
in your mind until you feel competent. Then, if a depressurization
occurs, you will competently take care of yourself and your child.
-In documented depressurizations over the last 10 years, passengers
have been treated for heart attacks, collapsed lungs, ear pain
and bleeding ears, nose bleeds, and loss of consciousness.
-The important thing to remember about handling an oxygen mask
is: if a mask drops near you, PULL IT TO YOU. Pulling the mask
out of its holder is what starts the flow of oxygen. In mock-up
situations, I was able to pull a mask towards me in two seconds,
and to secure the strap behind my head in another four seconds.
Certainly, you'll be able to do this if you think about this
now and picture it in your mind, and then review it again every
time you fly.
-During depressurizations, flight attendants are supposed to
walk around wearing portable oxygen masks and assist the injured
and the inept. Flight attendants, however, will be suffering
more than the passengers in a depressurization because of their
increased physical activities. Although flight attendants have been expertly
trained to function in emergencies, their physical and mental
capacities are 40% lower than the passengers' according to a
report mandated by Congress. All this may not matter anyway,
because the aircraft master oxygen tanks hold just enough oxygen
to accommodate a full passenger load for only ten minutes. It
is comforting to note, though, that commercial airlines train
pilots to complete a dive (hold on to your stomach!) into breathable
air in about three minutes.
-It is easy
to feel helpless when you're strapped in an airplane seat. Please
realize, however, that the flying experience is not entirely
beyond our control. In response to an inflight emergency, you
can choose between competency and panic.
-The way to avoid panic starts with information. Inform yourself
so that we have a clear understanding of what may go wrong.
-Mentally rehearse what you might need to do in a catastrophe,
then control your reactions so that you can act responsibly.
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