ASHRAE Insights

ASHRAE addresses air cabin air quality in Standard 161-2007, Air Quality Within Commercial Aircraft. The new standard, which covers issues such as temperature, cabin pressure, air contaminants and ventilation rates, can be voluntarily adopted by individual airlines or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or advocated for by airline passenger and employee groups.

“Compliance with this standard will go a long ways toward ensuring good air quality for passengers and crews,” said Byron Jones, chair of the committee that wrote the standard. “Unlike many other indoor environments, occupants do not have the ability to remove themselves from the environment, which is at a lower pressure and relative humidity than that found in many other environments. Standard 161 will help create a healthier, more enjoyable ride for the great variety of passengers on board.”

Standard 161 applies to commercial passenger air-carrier aircraft carrying 20 or more passengers. It is intended to apply to all phases of flight operations and to ground operations when the aircraft is occupied by passengers or crew members.

The cost of Standard 161-2007 is $43 for ASHRAE members. To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Service at 1-800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide); fax 404-321-5478; or visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore.