Pilot poisoned by toxic fumes on planes: Scientists

Pilots, crew and passengers may be exposed to toxic fumes
on aircraft, studies show.

Severe headaches. Insomnia. Vision problems. Confusion. Constant pain.

British Airways pilot Richard Westgate had been suffering from a long list of health problems in the years leading up to his death in December 2012, aged 43.

He had been convinced he was being poisoned by toxic fumes that leaked on board the planes that he flew.

In fact, he was so sure about it that he had asked his lawyers to begin legal action against the airline for “breaching health and safety guidelines”.

Now scientists claim they have compelling evidence that shows he was right all along.

Published in the Swiss Journal of Biological Physics and Chemistry, it’s believed to be the first case study of a pilot with chronic ill health following exposure to contaminated cabin air.

The researchers conducted a postmortem examination, analyzed the health problems Mr Westgate had detailed before his death, and retested blood that was drawn while he was still alive.

They concluded that the most likely cause of his death was “organophosphate induced neurotoxicity”. Organophosphates are hazardous chemicals present in jet engine oil and hydraulic fluid.

Frank Cannon, of Glasgow-based law firm Cannons Law, who has been fighting for answers following his client’s death, told the UK’s Mirror : “We believe that constant exposure to fuel leaks in planes contributed to Richard’s death.

“This scientific research proves that Richard suffered from chemicals called organophosphates which cause chronic brain and other problems. This happens because of constant exposure working aboard aircraft.”

The law firm is acting for 25 people who claim they’ve been affected by fumes on planes.

So how do toxic fumes get inside planes?
The cabin air is drawn in from the aircraft’s engines or auxiliary power unit — with the exception of the newer Boeing 787 model — using the engine’s compressors. This “bleed air” heats the air inside, and pressurises the cabin altitude. However, engine seals leak over time or fail, allowing heated oil mist to escape into the bleed air.

Mr Westgate, who had flown for 15 years, had noted that the on start-up, the engines would create puffs of smoke inside the plane followed by an oily smell.

After three years of flying his symptoms started, and progressively worsened to the point where he had severe chest pain, problems walking, and would fall off his bicycle for no reason. He underwent numerous tests and took a range of medications, and was even admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Overall, he saw 15 specialists. But it was only shortly before he was found dead in his hotel room that he was diagnosed with having symptoms related to exposure to plane fumes.

How big is the problem?

It’s believed many more illnesses and even deaths have been caused by toxic fumes on planes.

However, it’s difficult to establish a causal link as there is no standard on-board system to monitor aircraft cabin-air contamination. That’s despite a series of ad hoc tests reporting contamination events.

Earlier this year an Australian Transport Safety Bureau report ­revealed passengers and crew on Australian aircraft were ­exposed to toxic fumes more than 1000 times over the past five years. There were several occasions when crew had to divert flights or make emergency landings because of the fumes, but passengers were never warned of the dangers.

Former pilot Dr Susan Michaelis, now head of research at the Global Cabin Air Quality Executive, says she collapsed from fumes.

“Sitting in an unhealthy environment and being exposed to chemicals every day made me sick,” she told the Daily Telegraph .

She said there is compelling evidence of the impact these events have on health.

“There is a pattern of chronic ill-health … and it needs to be looked at further. My research has found clusters of pilots with brain cancer in the UK. They were mostly flying short-haul journeys.”

“The way the engines are designed means crew and passengers are exposed to hazardous fumes. These have both short- and long-term health impacts including cancer.”

A British Airways spokesperson told news.com.au: “It would be inappropriate to comment or speculate on the cause of death of an individual. The safety and security of our customers and crew are of paramount importance to British Airways and will never be compromised.”

Source: News.com.au

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Toxic fumes on air planes worries experts

Toxic air can affect air plane staff and passengers.

A senior engineer at aircraft giant Boeing warned bosses they would be “looking for a tombstone” unless they tackled the potentially deadly issue of toxic fumes on board passenger planes, a bombshell email reveals.

The Sunday Express obtained a memo written by a long serving employee at the US company in which he complains he and other engineers have been given the “run around” over their fears.

The engineer was so worried about the risk to passengers on board Boeing’s planes he told bosses he was amazed air safety regulators were not taking stronger action.

He said in the email Boeing was fully aware of the issue and some of the events that had been witnessed, including blue clouds of chemical compounds circulating above passengers’ heads, were “significant”.

The email was sent in 2007 and campaigners say it shows how much the aviation industry was concerned despite public statements even today that the air is safe.

The issue of toxic air, which regularly forces pilots to don oxygen masks, is one of the most serious facing the aviation industry, yet passengers are generally unaware it even exists.

According to official Civil Aviation Authority records, the entire crew of a British registered Airbus was taken to hospital for toxicology tests following a “fume event” on an unidentified flight to Geneva last month.

Yet just days later, Transport Minister Baroness Kramer told Parliament passengers had no automatic right to know whether they too might have suffered.

She flatly rejected a call by the Countess of Mar in the House of Lords to force airlines to inform passengers whenever a fume event occurs.

She also said there was little point in installing air quality monitors on board because “it is not clear what a monitoring system would be seeking to detect”.

Experts, such as the highly respected aviation analyst David Learmount, say this potentially endangers the long term health of those who fly.

Unfiltered air inside aircraft

The issue concerns the way breathing air enters the cockpit and passenger cabin.

On almost every aircraft, the air passengers breathe is sucked unfiltered into the cabin from the compression section of jet engines and is known as “bleed air".

Any oil leak at high temperatures in the engine seals, which can occur when pilots change the thrust of the plane, can release a complex mixture of potentially toxic fumes containing organophosphates.

Crew and passengers would only be aware of a possible leak by a strange, pungent, often likened to “smelly socks”.

A build up of these organophosphates has the ability to attack the body’s nervous system, causing serious illnesses.

However, because the term “aerotoxic syndrome” is not widely recognised by the medical profession, doctors will rarely ascribe its symptoms, such as nausea and loss of cognitive ability, to hours of flying.

It is argued the aviation industry deliberately plays down the significance of the issue for fear of the multibillion pound consequences.

Whenever questioned on the issue, airlines and aircraft manufacturers repeatedly state cabin air is safe and point to a much criticised Government-backed study by Cranfield University in 2011 which found no evidence of any harm to long term health.

Source: Daily Express This article has been edited for length.

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Air on planes could be toxic

Jet engine fuel pollutants can bleed into the cabin
during taxiing, a new study says.

Working above the clouds doesn’t mean you can leave air pollution worries and toxic chemicals behind.

In fact, fumes from plane engines could be drawn right into the plane cabin during taxiing, experts say.

A new study into the air quality on airplanes says that the air conditioning may have to be shut off during taxiing to prevent pollutants from entering.

The four-year study, which began in 2007, could not rule out that toxicity could occur on flights. This news will come as no surprise to some crews that have claimed to have gotten sick from cabin air.

However, hot temperatures in the cabin and cockpit may make it difficult or extremely uncomfortable for passengers to shut of the air conditioning during those times.

Crew members have complained of symptoms they say were stemming from low-level chronic exposure to contaminants from jet engines. The symptoms included dizziness, hallucinations, memory loss, fatigue, seizures and paralysis.

Jet engine oil contains many chemicals, among them tricresyl phosphate (or TCP), which is a neurotoxin.

The researchers found it was difficult to determine the extent of the contamination, as commercial aircraft do not have on-board air quality monitoring systems.

The study is called “Contamination of Aircraft Cabin Air by Bleed Air” and it was conducted by a panel of experts set up by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

The lack of conclusive findings means that there won’t be any regulation changes or recommendations.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Better indoor air quality in planes

The air in plane cabins often becomes stuffy and uncomfortable, especially during long flights.

It’s too bad airlines haven’t found a way to use air cleaners with activated carbon on board. Air cleaners with carbon, HEPA and optional UV lamps would be able to remove a wide range of contaminants from the cabin air, including airborne chemicals and gases, odors, particles, viruses and bacteria.

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