Flying: Clearing the Upper Air

Clearing the Upper Air

It is a common experience. The plane levels and the NO SMOKING sign flicks off with a gentle ding. Simultaneously an entire section of nervous flyers light up. The cloud of smoke drifts around the cabin and is then circulated again and again through the ventilation system. Last week the National Research Council offered the nonsmoking majority some relief. After an 18- month study for the Federal Aviation Administration, the council recommended a federal ban on smoking on all domestic airline flights. The report offered no solid proof that smoke in airplane cabins is a genuine health hazard to nonsmokers, but...

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