(a) no part of the Chicago Convention requires
ICAO Member States to have regard to the health and comfort of
air passengers;
(b) CAA's prime responsibilities for passengers
are to regulate for their safety - it has no direct responsibilities
for passenger health or comfort, although we note that the US
Department of Transportation has extended FAA's activities into
certain areas of passenger health, notably tobacco-smoking in
aircraft, cabin ozone levels, and cosmic radiation; and
(c) HSE has no active responsibilities in relation
to the health of airline passengers or crew. (Paragraph 3.25)
1.49 The charge that the industry was "in a
state of denial" about passenger health is perhaps a harsh
one, but the industry could do more to avoid such charges. To
all those with responsibilities for passenger and crew health,
we have to say that absence of evidence of harm is not the same
as evidence of the absence of harm. Without succumbing to the
impossible counsel of perfection that everything should be demonstrated
to be completely safe in all possible circumstances, there is
much scope not only for more positive responses to health issues
when they are raised, but also for pro-activity in detecting,
examining and dealing with new and emerging concerns. (Paragraph
8.16)