THE mother of Newport deep vein thrombosis victim Emma Christoffersen has welcomed a new report into the condition.

Ruth Christoffersen has been campaigning for a change in the law to make airlines responsible for the health of their passengers since her daughter's death in 2000.

Emma, 28, died from a blood clot just moments after getting off a Quantas flight from Sydney to Heathrow.

Now research undertaken on behalf of the World Health Organisation is understood to show long-haul flyers are five times more likely to suffer blood clots in their lower limbs.

The report by Professor Fritz Rosendaal of Leiden University in the Netherlands, which is due to be published later this year, is the largest study of its kind ever undertaken.

Mrs Christoffersen told the Argus the report was a step in the right direction. "I'm very pleased with the findings that have been reported so far," she said.

"Importantly, they will not just be taken into account here but across the world."

As chairman of the support group Victims of Air Related DVT Association (VADRA), Mrs Christoffersen has been at the forefront of the campaign to raise awareness of the so-called "economy-class syndrome."

The group is currently awaiting a House of Lords decision on whether it can continue with litigation against UK airlines.

Mrs Christoffersen said: "We want to force change so no other family has to go through what we have."

Past research has pointed to air travel as a risk factor in developing DVT but airlines argue that research has not proved a link beyond all doubt.

And European law makers cannot force airline companies to change their health and safety policies without conclusive proof.

Now Mrs Christoffersen hopes the new report will provide the evidence needed.

It comes as the chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on DVT, John Smith MP, predicted 2005 would mark a "turning point" in the campaign to reduce the risk of DVT among travellers.