Airplanes: Cigarette Smoke In Non-Smoking Areas

When the Surgeon General called for a ban of smoking on all airline flights, he stated "separating cigarette smokers from nonsmokers on airline flights does not necessarily prevent non-smoking passengers from absorbing carcinogens and other toxic substances found in tobacco smoke."

Studies have shown that passengers in non-smoking sections were exposed to significant levels of cigarette smoke. Some were affected to levels comparable to those in the smoking sections.

The older airplanes have systems which circulate 100% new air, while newer planes will circulate only 50% of the air. Because of this, the Surgeon General warned, more and more passengers will be exposed to higher levels of cigarette smoke in the future.