DOT REJECTS SMOKING BAN ON DOMESTIC FLIGHTS
The U.S. Department of Transportation
(DOT) has concluded that a ban on smoking on all domestic
airline flights is not justified at this time.
    The department made known its conclusions in a report to
Congress, made public today, on a recommendation by the
National Academy of Sciences that such a ban be adopted.
    "We agree that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke could
be viewed as a problem by some crew and passengers. However, we
believe that further study is needed before the department can
propose a definitive response to this recommendation," the DOT
report said.
    The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) had studied the
issue of smoking on airlines under a DOT grant.
    It recommended a ban in August after concluding that
tobacco smoke, when confined to an airliner's cabin, posed
potential health hazards to cabin crew members, irritated 
passengers and crew, and created a risk of fires.
    The DOT said more study was needed of the health effects of
environmental tobacco smoke and of the concentration and
distribution of pollutants on various aircraft types.
    It also called for more study of possible changes in
aircraft ventilation systems and said it wanted to spend more
time considering whether a ban should be extended to 
international as well as domestic flights.
 Reuter
