WebMD The Magazine - Feature Laura J. Martin, MD In every issue
of WebMD the Magazine, we ask experts to answer readers'
questions about a wide range of topics, including some of the
oldest and most cherished medical myths out there. For our May
2011 issue, we asked David Freedman, MD, professor of medicine
and epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and
a board member of the International Society of Travel Medicine,
about the widespread belief that airplane air has lots of germs.
A: Lots of people believe this, but it's actually FALSE. Here's
why: Airplane cabins come equipped with HEPA (high-efficiency
particulate air) filters that are as good "as those found in
isolation units in hospitals," Freedman says. "And viruses and
bacteria are big enough that they are trapped in those filters."
The health risk with airplane travel, Freedman says, "isn't the
recirculated air. It's the people sitting next to you." That's
because when people cough and sneeze, the droplets can travel 3
to 6 feet in any