Carl Zimmer: preference

Transcript context

…I often hear that when I’m flying on a plane, the air is quite good and well-ventilated. Not boarding, not deboarding, but during the flight. Is that true? I’ve talked to a few physicists and air-quality experts and, yes, they generally agree that most planes have really good ventilation systems and filtration systems onboard. Certainly, if there’s somebody with an airborne disease like COVID on your flight, basic physics is going to dictate that when you’re flying, and that system is actually running, your risk is going to be lower because they’re going to pull pathogens out of the air. On the other hand, when you’re boarding, those systems aren’t on yet, and lots of people are breathing in a small space, and they don’t even have to cough. People can just exhale or talk and they might be releasing tiny droplets that float around and can float through the whole cabin. That’s an issue. Then also, if you were to take one of these carbon dioxide meters on a plane — I own one — if you take one on a plane, you’ll notice when you land, that the carbon dioxide level will go way back up again because they turn the filter system off, and you’re taxiing around on the tarmac and waiting to get out. Certainly, it’s something to bear in mind when you’re taking a plane if you’re going to decide whether to wear a mask or not. That doesn’t mean that your risk is zero when you’re way up in the air and the system is running full-strength. Did anti-COVID masking work?…

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