Airplane air better than air at work, says expert

The oxygen you inhale while up in the air may be better than what you're breathing in at work, says an expert.

Dr Mark Gendreau, an aviation and emergency medicine expert at the Lahey Clinic at Tufts University School of Medicine, said that this is because aircraft cabin air is refreshed on an average of 20 times per hour, compared with 12 times per hour in an office building, reports Msnbc.com.

Research suggests that airplane cabins are actually a healthy place to spend time.

"A plane is a much safer place, thanks to the ventilation system," the New York Daily News quoted Gendreau as saying.

"You actually are breathing better air than what you would on a subway, bus or train," he added.

Gendreau said that the ventilation systems in aircraft were developed back when people were allowed to smoke cigarettes on planes, and they are highly efficient at getting pollutants out of the air.