Written question asked by Baroness Hanham (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Adonis (Labour) on Friday, 6 November 2009.

Aviation: Carbon Emissions

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made on developing equipment to capture fume events in aircraft and give a warning to cabin and crew members, such as that for carbon monoxide warnings in the home.

Answer: Technology exists to capture fume events on aircraft. This was developed by Cranfield University as a precondition of being able to begin the current research work into cabin air contamination. The published report on what equipment to use is available on http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/hci/cabinairtest.pdf. When we know what contaminants are in cabin air fume events, and in what concentrations, we will then be able to begin to make judgments about whether they cause ill health and what remedies, technical or otherwise, may be appropriate.

Secondary information