HYPOXIA
AND AIRPLANE
TRAVEL
Hypoxia is
the condition in human,
when oxygen quantity in
blood decreases. As
a result sleepiness,
headache, blue lips
and blue finger
nails, impaired vision
and judgment, increased
pulse rate and
respiration, certain personality
change occur.
Modern airplane
travel are all high
altitude flying. This
altitude is a relation
with hypoxia. When
altitude increases atmospheric
pressure decreases. Atmospheric
air contains our
life supporting oxygen.
At high altitude
this oxygen quantity is
so less, that,
if proper system
is not there
in airplane, hypoxia
attack the airplane
traveler, because, percentage
of oxygen in air breathed
decreases.
At 10,000
feet above the
sea level oxygen
saturation of the blood
is 90%. It is
81% at 15,000
feet above sea
level. It is 68%
at 22,000 feet above
sea level and
convulsion may occur. At 25,000 feet
oxygen saturation in the blood
decreases to 50%,
if this condition
continues for five
minutes, it can
cause unconsciousness.
To overcome
these situation modern
airplane cabin are
made pressurized. It
is the standard
practice for protection
travelers from effects
of hypoxia. Airplane
cabin pressurization is a
technique by which
people can be
transported comfortably
and safely against
the effect of hypoxia.
There is mechanisms
to maintain the
cabin altitude 8000
feet or less
and passenger can
stay there without
oxygen equipment. By
maintaining this 8000
feet or less
cabin altitude it
is ensures that
sufficient atmospheric pressure
is there to absorb required
percentage of oxygen
for human blood supply through
normal breathing process,
thus hypoxia is averted.
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