%0 Journal Article
%A Seema Bhangar
%A Shannon Cowlin
%A Brett C Singer
%A Richard G Sextro
%A William W Nazaroff
%B Environmental Science and Technology
%D 2008
%G eng
%N 11
%P 3938-43
%R 10.1021/es702967k
%T Ozone levels in passenger cabins of commercial aircraft on North American and transoceanic routes
%V 42
%X <p>Ozone levels in airplane cabins, and factors that influence them, were  studied on northern hemisphere commercial passenger flights on domestic  U.S., transatlantic, and transpacific routes. Real-time data from 76  flights were collected in 2006–2007 with a battery-powered UV  photometric monitor. Sample mean ozone level, peak-hour ozone level, and  flight-integrated ozone exposures were highly variable across domestic  segments (N = 68), with ranges of &lt;1.5 to 146 parts per  billion by volume (ppbv), 3−275 ppbv, and &lt;1.5 to 488 ppbv-hour,  respectively. On planes equipped with ozone catalysts, the mean  peak-hour ozone level (4.7 ppbv, N = 22) was substantially lower than on planes not equipped with catalysts (47 ppbv, N = 46). Peak-hour ozone levels on eight transoceanic flight segments,  all on planes equipped with ozone catalysts, were in the range &lt;1.5  to 58 ppbv. Seasonal variation on domestic routes without converters is  reasonably modeled by a sinusoidal curve that predicts peak-hour levels  to be approximately 70 ppbv higher in Feb−March than in Aug−Sept. The  temporal trend is broadly consistent with expectations, given the  seasonal cycle in tropopause height. Episodically elevated (&gt;100  ppbv) ozone levels on domestic flights were associated with  winter−spring storms that are linked to enhanced exchange between the  lower stratosphere and the upper troposphere. </p>