In a recent study made by researchers of UK, scientists have found that traveling by air seemed to lower the oxygen level in the blood of the passengers.
The study was done to see whether air traveling, which has become so commonplace today, do have any effect on the health of the passengers flying today. The researchers have taken the measurement of peripheral oxygen saturation and pulse rate of 84 passengers, aged from 1 to 78 yrs. This was measured by pulse oximetry at ground level and at higher altitude during a flight.The results show that there exists reduction in oxygen saturation in all passengers traveling in both long distance and short distance flights. The mean level of oxygen saturation was 97% at the ground level and 93% at the cruising altitude. More than fifty percent of the passengers had the saturation value of 94% or less at the cruising altitude. At this saturation limit physicians may administer supplemental oxygen in hospital conditions.
Although this may not be dangerous for healthy individuals, but for people with lungs problem or heart disease, this drop in the level of oxygen due to cabin air pressure may be potentially dangerous
