A former commercial pilot is leading the investigation into the effects that toxic cabin air onboard passenger jets can have on the health of passengers and crew.

Former British Airways pilot, Tristan Loranie, who flew commercial airliners with the company for 19 years is warning that cabin air contains toxic chemicals which can incapacitate the crew, putting the lives of all on board in jeopardy.

Loranie has just completed six years of personal research into the quality of aircraft cabin air and the effects that poisonous chemicals it contains can have on those on board. He says that pilots could effectively become incapable of flying the aircraft due to these chemicals. In an article he wrote for the Daily Mail in the UK he said "Even more worrying is that, just like an over-confident drunk driver at the wheel of a car, they would have no idea they were doing anything wrong.

A new US study demonstrates that harmful pesticides can be detected in the body fluids of children who consume conventionally grown foods.

The study was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and involved scientists from Emory University, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the University of Washington. The results are published in this month's issue of the Environmental Health Perspectives journal.

The study was conducted over the period of a year and involved children living in suburban areas of Seattle in the state of Washington.

Here at The Environmental Illness Resource we strongly believe that only through a huge increase in the amount of research being conducted into environmental illnesses will the recognition they deserve be forthcoming. Over the years there have been a not insignificant amount of studies into conditions such as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) with the majority suggesting there is something physically wrong with patients that is worthy of further study. The problem is that these studies have all been small, involving only a handful of patients. This has meant results are often not taken seriously by the medical establishment and other researchers, and this coupled with a severe lack of funding has meant further research has been limited.

A large scale study has found that food grown organically is better for you then food grown using conventional intensive farming methods.

The Quality Low Input Food (QLIF) study which lasted four years was funded by the European Union at a cost of approximately £12m (US $24m). Researchers led by a team at Newcastle University in the UK found that organic foods were much higher in antioxidants and lower in so called 'bad fats'.

During the study researchers grew fruit and vegetables, grains, and reared cattle on pairs of organic and non-organic sites across Europe. These sites included a 725-acre Newcastle University site located at Nafferton Farm, Northumberland.

Crops grown included cabbages, lettuces, carrots, potatoes and wheat. The organic and non-organic produce was then compared with nutrient content being a key target.

It was found that levels of antioxidants in milk from organically reared cattle were between 50% and 80% higher than normal milk.

After comparing crops, organic wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions and lettuce contained up to 40% more antioxidants.