-9. THE DANGER OF HEIGHT
Emma Christoffersen was twenty-eight years old when she collapsed moments after leaving a long flight from Australia. Her death highlighted the statistics concerning health-related problems during long flights. In fact, more people die from health-related incidents during flights than from air crashes. Studies show that poor air quality, low oxygen levels and cramped seating are triggering heart attacks, deep vein thrombosis and causing contagious diseases among an increasingly large number of passengers. Long periods of sitting in cramped quarters can cause blood clots to form, especially in the legs and lower abdomen, which can cause deep vein thrombosis, from which Emma died. Passengers have also contracted tuberculosis through recycled air. Despite these problems, the airlines are not addressing these issues and continue to reduce the space between seats. The Aviation Health Institute advises that cabins are ventilated every three minutes, but at present, the average Is every ten. To minimise the risk to their health, passengers are advised to exercise and drink plenty of water during a flight.
According to the passage, air crashes account for.......... .
the greatest number of deaths during flights
far fewer deaths than are caused by tuberculosis
fewer fatalities than from those relating to health problems during flights
as many deaths as from heart attacks and deep vein thrombosis combined
only a small proportion of all accidental deaths