Air passengers exposed to extremely high levels of ultrafine particle pollution, study finds

While ultrafine particle pollution was very low when aircraft were at cruise altitude in clean air, it was a different matter on the ground. Photograph: Frank Armstrong/Getty Images

A study has revealed the concentrations of ultrafine particles breathed in by airline passengers.

A team of French researchers, including those from Université Paris Cité, built a pack of instruments that was flown alongside passengers from Paris Charles de Gaulle to European destinations. The machinery was placed on an empty seat in the front rows or in the galley.