Could airplane air be exposing people to toxic chemicals? Evidence is accumulating that it may.
Critics of the airline industry claim that the system used to re-circulate air in airplanes does not remove fumes or vapors from the engine. The process involves combining re-circulated existing cabin air with air bled off the engines. The air pulled into the engines is cooled and compressed before it is pumped into the cabin. If this system malfunctions, chemical contaminants can end up circulating through the airplane, creating a so-called fume event.
According to the National Research Council, such fume events could occur on four out of every 1,000 flights. The United Kingdom’s Committee on Toxicity said in 2007 that pilots reported such fume events in 1 percent of flights. The group also said that maintenance inspected and confirmed incidents in 0.05 percent of flights.
Earlier this year, a joint investigation by German and Swiss TV networks claimed to have found high levels of a dangerous toxin on board several planes. The chemicals found in the samples included high levels of tricresyl phosphate (TCP), an organophosphate contained in modern jet oil as an antiwear additive, which can lead to drowsiness, headaches, respiratory problems or neurological illnesses.
According to CNN, the University of Washington is currently analyzing blood and blood plasma samples from 92 people – mostly pilots and flight attendants – who suffered from tremors, memory loss, severe migraine headaches and other ailments following airplane fume events. Results from those tests are expected to be available within the coming months.
Terry Williams is one person who believes she was exposed to toxic chemicals during an airplane fume event. Williams ordeal allegedly began in April 2007, when she was working as a flight attendant on an American Airline flight. At one point during her shift, Williams noticed a “misty haze type of smoke” in the cabin. By the time the flight was over, Williams was suffering from symptoms she thought were the sign of an impending cold, including a sore throat, headache and cough. But her symptoms quickly grew worse, and according to CNN, came to include a nasal discharge that was a neon green color. After a few weeks, a neurologist diagnosed Williams as a victim of toxic exposure. Williams continues to suffer from migraine headaches, tremors, and blind spots in her field of vision, CNN said. Recently, Williams filed suit against Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, the manufacturers of the aircraft where the fume event that allegedly sickened Williams occurred.
