WASHINGTON - Sept. 28, 2020 - Airlines are touting a suspect study, and again claiming - incorrectly - that planes' ventilation systems with HEPA filters largely solve the problem, something thoroughly debunked when I helped get smoking on airlines banned, says public interest law professor John Banzhaf.

The airlines point to a Harvard study claiming that there's "less than 1% risk of transmitting COVID in an aircraft," but the study was only a theoretical simulation belied by actual instances of mass infection, and is obviously suspect because it was sponsored by the aviation industry which is trying desperately to save itself by convincing people to ignore Dr. Anthony Fauci's clear warning that flying is very dangerous.

Even a 1% chance of infection with a deadly virus is significant, suggests Banzhaf, asking how many people would willingly play Russian roulette with a gun where only 1 out of 100 chambers had a bullet.

Moreover, for many people who travel frequently, the overall risk, even using the airlines' suspect theoretical model, can be daunting.

For example, if the risk of contracting COVID is only 1% on any given flight, the risk jumps to about 20% for anyone who flies 20 time a year, as many business people do - worse odds than when playing Russian roulette with a conventional 6-shot revolver with only one bullet. Fly biweekly, and the odds jump to almost 25%; far worst than the 17% risk in Russian roulette.

Similarly, for a family of 4 flying only 5 times a year, the risk that at least one family member will become infected - according to the suspect study - is also about 20%.

http://banzhaf.net/ jbanzhaf3ATgmail.com @profbanzhaf

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