House of Lords - Science and Technology

Select Committee on Science and Technology Written Evidence

Memorandum by ICE (Ideal Cabin Environment) Project

ICE (Ideal Cabin Environment) is a multi-nation multi-partner European project addressing the widespread concerns about the impact of aircraft cabin environment on the health and well-being of passengers in commercial planes. Changing passenger demographics, the advent of ultra-long-haul services, and specific health issues such as deep vein thrombosis, have all combined to increase concerns. The ICE consortium, consisting of 15 organisations in eight European countries has the objective to determine, over a three-year project lifetime, the health-based optimum levels and synergistic effects of aeroplane cabin environmental parameters, including cabin pressure, on the full spectrum of the travelling public.

ICE is now halfway through its three-year project period and during this time we have completed a campaign of tests on about 1,500 passengers representing a broad spectrum of the travelling public—including groups with relevant health concerns (respiratory and cardiovascular). We carried out these tests in two specialised aircraft cabin environment test facilities: the ACE (Aircraft Cabin Environment) located at the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in Garston, Watford, UK; and the other at FTF (Flight Test Facility) at IBP in Holzkirchen, Munich, Germany. During these tests we have measured both physiological and psychological responses to different conditions of cabin pressure, temperature, relative humidity, ventilation rate and noise. We will soon be analysing the data with a view to developing a European pre-Standard and providing stakeholders with targeted guidance.

ICE is being carried out under the European Commission Sixth Framework Programme and is part-funded by the Commission. BRE in the UK co-ordinates the project and the other partners within the ICE consortium are:

— Airbus Deutschland GmbH (Germany);

— Antanas Gustatis Aviation Institute of Vilnius (Lithuania);

— Avitronics Research (Greece);

— Civil Aviation Authority Aviation Health Unit (UK) who also provides the Medical Chair for the project;

— Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V (Germany);

— EADS Deutschland GmbH Corporate Research Centre (Germany);

— Institute of Building Physics (IBP)—Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der angewandten Forschuhng e.V (Germany);

— Medical University of Vienna (Austria);

— Stichting National Lucht en Ruimtevaartlaboratorium (The Netherlands);

— Streit (Germany);

— Royal Free and University College Medical School (UK);

— Universita' Delgi studi di Padova (Italy);