Neurotoxins get into the cabin air of almost all passenger airliners. Aircraft manufacturers and the airlines say when it happens the doses are harmless, but there is a mass of personal medical evidence that their denials are part of a globally organised cover-up. We want to hear from people, pilots, cabin crew, and passengers whose health has been permanently or temporarily damaged by exposure to contaminated cabin air.

You can visit David Learmount's blog post on this subject, which will tell you about the latest media attempt to blow apart this cover-up, and also to find out what else we have written about it ourselves.

Help us find out the truth about what contaminated air does to people.

 Already some interesting response on this in the comments section at the bottom of David's blog post.Here are just some of the views made so far:

TangoVictorBravo:

I just would like to emphasize: under normal operation conditions 0 (zero) nanograms of TCP should be found in the cabin enviroment. It belongs into the oil that should stay in the engine, - not the cabin. We took all our samples under "normal operation conditions" on regular scheduled flights.

For a follow up program to be aired soon we are looking for pilots and crewmembers who got incapacitated by smell and/or fumes events in the last years. We have indications to believe that not all events were properly investigated by the respective authorities or the investigation did just focus on "maintenance issues".

 TCP for breakfast:

I am a pilot and was made ill by the BAe 146 and then the Boeing 757. Of the dozens of pilots and cabin crew I've spoken to or know of, the majority flew one of these types. The documented evidence and independent studies on this issue show overwhelmingly that there is a big problem. It's time the manufacturers, airlines and regulators were held accountable for the cover-up.

John Hoyte:

 Congratulations to the logical and honest style of the Germans and Swiss for presenting so clearly the cause of serious ill health in aircrew as a result of breathing heated engine oil in a confined space.

Where are the British media who should be tracking this major public health issue?

 Anonymous:

 Maybe I've missed something, but the presence of a chemical on a surface does not imply that the chemical is airborne.

It's at least reasonably likely that the TCP could have gotten on to those services by contact (e.g. an engineer wearing overalls that aren't 100% clean gets on board and touches surfaces while fixing something). This could happen in a number of ways.

David Learmount

 Manufacturers and airlines have a duty of care to determine how the TCP did get onto the interior surfaces of all the aircraft in which it has been detected, because TCP is a dangerous neurotoxin. The latter is not in dispute.

The manufacturers and airlines have failed to provide explanations as to how the TCP got there. More than that, they have not even tried to explain it, because they know they can't refute the bleed air argument.

Remember, if you have any experience of contaminated cabin air here is the area to provide it!

Mav

 Anonymous,

If you seriously think that TCP is getting spread from the overalls of mechanics to the air outlets and walls of aircraft cabins - well I think i've heard every excuse now.

Please remind me how TCP gets into the blood and fat of aircrew?

I do not put TCP on my breakfast cereal.

I can't wait to find out.....

www.aerotoxic.org for further.

 

 The issues of contaminated air or fumes in aircraft is very simple when you look at the facts:

 Aircraft have no form of detection system to warns crews when the air is contaminated and many of these chemicals are odourless not to mention one becomes quickly desentized to any smell - Conclusion: Pilots are the weak link in the safety chain. Flight safety is being compromised without doubt and sensors should be mandated ASAP.

 Crews are not reporting all events. I fly for a UK charter airline and would suggest that at best 5% of events are ever entered in the book, I am not talking about smoke in the cockpit but aircraft fumes and specifically the oil fumes we all know about on the 757 which I fly. I am not the only pilot to feel the effects and the consequnces at work of not being 100% but hell, there are pilots losing their medicals to this, our collegues. We as crews know this, the airlines know this, the CAA know this but nothing is done to ensure all events are recorded - Conclusion: Fit sensors just like there are cabin altitude sensors. When I fly in GA (when I can afford it) I have a CO detector so its silly not to fit sensors on commercial aircraft.

 CAA and Government research. My CAA AME is also a very good friend and as he has told me the CAA is not really trying to resolve this problem and neither is the DfT, partly because as he puts it, the CAA is financed entirely by the airlines and because BAe has massive influence in the inustry and in Downing Street. We all know in the business the 146 is not called the 'Flying Gas Chamber' for nothing.

 BALPA / IPA

How can two unions have such opposite views: BALPA does nothing except support and endorse Gov research which from my research online and in the literature, is designed to find nothing. IPA on the other hand sent out the film Toxic Airlines made by a BA pilot and respect to the guy for doing it. The IPA are members of the global group GCAQE which shows who is leading the fight. Sure IPA does not have the overall influence BALPA does but they are trying and BALPA are in effect failing its members with their failure to act when they could make a big difference.

Industry

Boeing with the 787 offer the only real long term solution and respect to them. Having flown both Airbus and Boeing aircraft I am pleased Boeing are again a step ahead. Clearly Seattle has more brains and vision than Toulouse.

 

 

 This is an interesting viewpoint from Breathe Greasy:

Having operated the B757 for awhile, I can confirm that I have been a victim to several fumes events and witness to what I could only describe as an industry-wide cover-up.

This particular aircraft and certain engine combination, has, right from the beginning, been dogged by an on-going oil fumes problem which has never been resolved. The problem was rubbished by the original aircraft operators (enforced by sacking the crew who brought the first law suit). Now the same appears to be happening with the aircraft's current owners.

Although the DfT have been involved with testing, results are still being 'massaged'. Apart from the very first few equipment validation flights (which were undertaken to decide what sensing equipment to use and where on the aircraft to place it), no aircraft with a previous history of fumes events were used in the test series. In fact, the only recorded significant fumes event occurred on one of the first equipment validation flights, but the data was discarded because 'the flight was only meant to validate the use of the equipment, not to collate data'!

During and following the trial, we were repeatedly quoted the 'theoretically safe' exposure quantities of the various chemicals being sampled. The problem with these figures is that they were all tested under ISA conditions in a laboratory, in ISOLATION and for single exposures. Goodness only knows what happens to the human body when repeatedly exposed to multiple, toxic chemicals in a cabin environment, at altitude.

There have been many reported fumes events across the fleet for which a large number of pilots have gone sick (some only for a day, but others for considerably longer).

Symptoms vary from sore/streaming eyes (with accompanying temporary blindness), nose and throat irritation, headaches, sickness and rashes, to name but a few.

As the aircraft continue to age, this problem will only get worse. Significant effort needs to be put into not only finding an engineering solution, but also researching the long-term medical impact of exposure on the crews and passengers and possible compensation for those having been exposed, WITHOUT compromising future career prospects in the industry.

  

 I was a BAe 146 pilot in Australia & after almost 3 years of repeated frequent clearly obvious fume/oil events in which i repeatedly experienced short term symptoms in flight, I was no longer able to fly. The short term symptoms that were just a normal part of flying to me one day escalated & I have never flown commercially again. That was 12 years ago & I still suffer chronic ill health all these years later. Sad thing is they knew all about it back then but just forgot to tell me. If they had told me  I could have made choices. Even worse is that I was not alone. I later discovered there had been so many serious flight safety incidents & so many had become unwell, short term & some of those long-term. I then found the paper trail. They knew all about it. To think it's still going on & so many/ most simply refuse to look at the evidence. This is immoral.

To think just months before I became unwell permanently a 146 captain had flown down final at Brisbane so intoxicated from oil fumes that they had no ability to judge distance & felt the runway was moving. That pilot has never flow again either. That case is all documented as well for those that want to look &  there are so many more just like that. How many more stories do people want to hear or perhaps they don't- we are dispensable.

It is & was a corporate disgrace to think that 6 years before I lost my career, Dan Air crews along with East West & Ansett were expressing outrage at the oil fume smells on the 146 and 7 years before that the SBs were advising of the problem. Again I say they forgot to tell us that. 18 years later the events are still going on but now we know it's far wider than just a BAe 146 issue.

Crews and passengers alike must start to speak out. tell their stories & say enough of this culture of profits before people. it is unconscionable to allow it to continue anylonger-There are solutions.

I challenge anybody who doubts the truth of this matter to have a debate. I am ready. I know the facts & the extent of this problem. It is an alarming problem for anybody who really looks at the true extent of the problem & even more so the cover- up that has gone on for decades.

Over all these years I have said little personally & just carried on with the research and tried to raise awareness, however it is now time we all speak out & tell the truth of what we have had to live through.

I will be completing a PhD on this issue later this year & recently published  the only collated source of data on the issue: Aviation Contaminated Air Reference Manual

http://www.susanmichaelis.com 

 

 

I worked at Delta Airline for 14 years. When I began back in 1994, I was in great health. I can say that over the years my health slowly started to be impacted by the air I was breathing sometimes for hours depending on the work load. I worked outside on the ramp for 7 years where I was exposed to jet fumes and engine fuel. I worked my last 7 years as a gate agent and I was still exposed to the same toxins. I noticed I began to suffer from this horrible pain in my chest that was unbearable. It was later diagnosed as Acid Reflux Disease. At the time I wasn't certain of why I suddenly suffered from this, but never the less I was treated with nexium, the purple pill and told to watch what I ate and it should go away. Well I complied, but began to notice even with treatment the pain began to progress over the years being even more severe while I was at work. I figured it was over exertion and paid it no mind, but it still stayed with me no matter what I ate.

In late 2007 early 2008 I began to have dizzy spells that were uncontrollable and to the point that I couldn't perform my job and would often have to sit down. The spells began to come sort of like a seizure, just out of the blue. On two occasions the paramedics were called. They couldn't find anything wrong with me, but i knew there was something wrong. I began to lose my balance and coordination which was not like me at all. I would just zone completely out with these dizzy spells. My hands began to stay num and I got this constant cough that I could not get rid of no matter what the doctor gave me. Where was all this coming from? No one could tell me, all I no is it was happening and it wasn't getting better. My breathing began to become an issue and I was congested in my lungs and chest, but was told I did not have pneumonia I just had an upper respiratory infection, but why and where did it come from? I literally felt like I was about to die, I'm sorry I'm not a negative person, but this is the truth. I would call in sick and stay at home and I noticed the symptoms appeared to get better, of coarse I was given all sorts of anti-bacteria pills that weren't effective. I did notice the symptoms getting better but, the moment I returned to work something would trigger the cough, the dizzy spells, the in ability to keep my balance, and the numbness all over again. I was told I had low blood, I was under stress, and you name it the doctors said it, but why wasn't it going away? And why when it did began to lift, did it come back when I returned to work in the environment of jet fumes, and engine fuels?Finally, I was referred by a friend to go to a specialist who is trained to diagnose upper chest issues. I shared my story and his response and diagnoses was, “Hypersensitive Airway Path Disease." I'd never heard of it, but he told me it can come at anytime mostly when one constantly is exposed to something that has agitated their lungs for a long period of time. I definitely fit in that catergory.I also still had the Acid Reflux as well. I was treated with a combination of drugs and the pain went away, and so did the cough.I accepted a separation package at Delta Airlines due to lack of work and in my case, for obvious health issues.

 

 While I fill much better now and have not suffered as much from these horrible symptoms, I still suffer. I have a digestive track that's all messed up, I still get the cough a little, the acid reflux is worse, and I still get dizzy spells; not as severe, but I get them.The separation agreement that Delta made everyone sign states," I acknowledge that I may have sustained or may yet sustain damages that are presently unknown and that relate to claims between me and the Released Parties." (Which means Delta). I expressly waive all rights I may have under any state or federal statute pretty much to sue them is where all this legal mumbo jumbo is headed. What does this tell you? The airlines know that there is a possibility that something may come up that they may be liable for. They have now protected themselves from a lawsuit, from unaware people who may or may not have known their health has been compromised by this environment, but needless to say, I can't make them do a darn thing about it; but you can.

If you are working at the airport and have close constant exposure to these toxins, I encourage you to ring the alarm and make some noise. I'm stuck now, even though I'm happy I left and hopefully got out soon enough, my health was clearly impacted. I came to this company with no health issues at all, I left this company with acid reflux, hypersensitive air way path disease, slight damage to my lungs, dizzy spells on and off, loss of feeling in my hands and arms, loss of balance, chest pain and breathing issues. Now if years of this kind of exposure ingested into my lungs didn't cause my symptoms or at least contributed to them, now you tell me what did?

I encourage those on the defense to just do the research yourself. This is serious and could happen to anyone, don't sleep on this. I wish I'd awaken sooner, but at least i have my story to share.

T.J.B. 

 

 Another sufferer here. After flying over 7000 hours in the flying gas chamber (BAe-146) my health problems now include chemical sensitivity, liver function problems, fatigue, headaches, gastro reflux, memory vagueness and occassional mild dizziness. It took around three years for my own problems to surface and they continued to develop until I swapped aircraft types. Whilst my health has settled down somewhat I still have mild ongoing issues that I will likely never resolve, including I suspect, neurological damage. Despite the known issues with the engine seals on the BAe-146 and all the various efforts of BAE sytems and operating companies to manage the problem of oil contamination in the bleed air systems, I have yet to hear any official company or government recognition that the fumes and well documented common health problems are in any way linked. In fact I attended a BAe Systems conference in 1999 and raised the issue for discussion. Despite every operator there agreeing that the cabin air quality in the BAe-146 was an obvious and ongoing issue, the senior conference facilitator organised for BAe-Systems air sampling carts to be displayed on via an overhead projector and declared that the BAe 146 had air quality that was proven to be either as good as, or in most cases better than, their competitors. So despite this outrageous claim and blatent attempt at plausable deniability, it did clarify one point. All aircraft that use bleed air have the same problem, oil does get into the bleed system, something my sensitive nose confirms all too often. Is there a smokescreen with the issue, you bet there is.

I was a passenger and I firmly believe I became ill due to contaminated air on an XL Airways  flight from Newcastle  to Kos in October 2007. The strong dirty socks smell was  coming up from the side of the window seat where I was sitting . It made me feel nauseous and sleepy.I was ill  for the whole of the two week  holiday.I suffered extreme fatigue,nausea, loss of appetite, and headaches. swollen glands , neckache , bloodshot watery eyes and spent almost a week in bed. On the return flight we had the same aircraft and  I became even more sick on the return flight. I almost fainted with dizziness and extremely nausea. The same smell was in the aircraft. It was awful.

I went to the GP on my return as I felt so ill  and was signed off work for 2 weeks due to the extreme fatigue, swollen glands  and nausea.Two months later I was still suffering from fatigue , poor concentration and the white of my eyes were yellow. My neck glands were still swollen and sore so  my GP took a blood test  and discovered I was suffering from an underactive thyroid gland..

 I have flown in at least 12 aircraft since and never smelled anything like what I smelled in that aircraft and I never felt ill in any of these aircraft so I do believe that there was  contaminated air which  caused me to become so  ill . Could contaminated air cause thyroid problems ?

 We have had some really interesting comments and experiences so thanks for those who have contributed so far.Here's some more comments from David Learmount's blog post:

  From Suzy:

 I am cabin crew. I have had health problems for 12 years - since 11 months after joining my present airline. I have been diagnosed as having peripheral and autonomic nerve damage, occupational asthma, chronic fatigue, pneumonia, cancer, chronic sinusitis and osteoporosis.I haven't flown for over a year, on my last flight nearly all the cabin crew were ill. I wonder how many passengers were too?

From Tristan Loraine:

 The debate over health effects and liability could continue for decades without any resolution but the fact aircraft have no form of detection system to warn pilots when the air is contaminated with chemicals which have incapacitated crews is a scandal in an industry that prides itself on safety. Airlines, crews, unions and the regulators know crews are not following aircraft manufacturers guidelines to use oxygen when they suspect the air is contaminated but everyone turns a blind eye and the public are kept in the dark.

The travelling public put their lives in the hands of the airline industry and crews are the weakest link. Detectors need to be fitted urgently as crews cannot be relied upon due the political, finacial and legal nature of the problem.The air supplied should be supplied 'Bleed Free' or filtered.

From Claudia Mercer:

My husband flew the BAe146 for two years in the early '90s. Since then he has had medical problems. First it was headaches, then shortness of breath, dizzy spells, depression. After ten years of this he had to take early retirement. Medical investigations showed peripheral and autonomic nerve damage. Now his sight is poor, he suffers memory loss and has difficulty moving. The latest diagnosis is some form of neurodegenerative disease. It seems too much of a coincidence that all this started when he flew the BAe146; before that his health was excellent.

I flew as aircrew on Dash 8 were I was regulary exposed to oil fumes over a 5 year period. At first I didn't really see the link between my exposures and deteorating health. Gradually after each exposure my symptoms got worse to the point were I was left constantly feeling unwell.

My main symptoms during and after exposure included headaches, lightheaded and dizziness. Nausea, stomach pains and diahorrea. Fatigue and lack of concentration.

Finally after years of anguish I found a doctor who had prior experince dealing with aircrew affected by fumes. I was  diagnosed Aerotoxic Syndrome and declared medically unfit to fly. That was 10 months ago. I still suffer from symptoms outlined above and I have developed an acute sensitivity to chemicals.

 

 Here is another example:

I was exposed to TCP in October 2005. Since then I have a number of ailments that have left me disabled. I breathing and sinus problems, dizziness, headaches mental confusion, brain damage, joint and muscle aches, fatigue, digestive problems,skin allergies and rash,loss of sensation to my lower extremities, depression and anxiety. I have also developed tumors in my brain and salivary gland. This has affected me emotionally, mentally and financially.I was wondering if you could tell me, why would anyone put themselves through this hardship????????? 

If this is not airborne...then how did i get exposed????

Wait.....I remember.........I was busy SNIFFING the "engineers"  overalls!!!!!!!!

Let me tell YOU....i will NEVER forget the odor and the smoke/haze that burned my throat, eyes and lungs. The inability to breath and massive headache which incapicitated me. (as well as the rest of the crew and some passengers)

 I am living proof that it is "airborne".

 

 This is the moving experience of Leonard, who struggles to use a computer:

I struggle to use the computer at the present time. Eight years ago I was flying Royalty and Heads of States. What happened? Chemical induced nervous system injury.

Here's his story:

 My first recorded fume event was on the 29 November 1991. During the take-off run having passed V1 (a speed at which the aircraft was committed to becoming airborne)  the aircraft flight deck filled instantly  with hot acrid fumes. The Captain and myself were blinded, unable to view instrumentation or gain any visual reference, our skin was burning and we could not breathe.
 
As the handling pilot I allowed the aircraft to accelerate for several seconds prior to rotation and thereafter the aircraft became airborne. The Captain (a highly experienced pilot with many years experience on this specific aircraft type) with no visual reference, but by feeling this way along the instrument panel located and then opened the dump valve. Within about 3 seconds the fumes cleared. The incident lasted for about 15 seconds.
 
For 15 seconds we were blinded, unable to breathe, accelerating in excess of 160 mph. Oxygen masks were activated, emergency drills actioned and an emergency declared to Air Traffic Control. An emergency landing was made and the aircraft evacuated. Both the Captain and myself were employed by and trained by the aircraft  manufacturer. One wonders how a less experienced crew would have managed. The aircraft and documentation was exported to Russia.
 
My last recorded fume event occurred in 2004. The Captain (a recently retired United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Flight Operation Inspector) was the handling pilot. During a fume event he had the aircraft descend to within 500 feet agl above the city of Amsterdam not established on any published instrument approach and with no visual reference to the runway.What is even more concerning is that I too failed to intervene I can still recall the oily smell on the flight deck! At 500ft and confused we instigated a climb to 1500 feet. I still do not understand how this situation occurred.     
 
Aircrew world wide know what is causing their neurological, respiratory, neuropsychological, psychiatric conditions....., many are afraid to come forward in fear of losing their livelihood, particularly given the powerful Government and Aerospace industry opposition to this issue.

The Swiss Air Accident Investigation Bureau report into a serious incident involving the Avro 146 RJ 100 registration HB-IXN on the 19 April 2005. The medical examination of the co-pilot after the flight showed that during the flight toxic exposure took place.
 
What I cannot understand is why in my own personal experience  Consultant Psychiatrists declined and failed to view the 2003 AOPIS DVD Contaminated Air when both the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) and the Independent Pilots Association sent this DVD out to it's members presumably to prevent misdiagnoses.

My personal experience is well documented, medically misdiagnosed and with three Court of Protection Medical Certificates CP3's issued but never registered by the Official Solicitor with other solicitors and doctors denying their existence, I was held as a captive mental patient for almost 18 months with most of my assets disposed of.
 
So, heavily medicated, misdiagnosed by psychiatrists, unable to take care of myself. Simply because psychiatrists failed to eliminate any organic cause that could be related to aircraft fumes. Thankfully BALPA arranged for myself and a few others to have specialist blood tests for which I will always be grateful. The test identified chemical induced nervous system injury.
 
During my flying training little did I realise how in later years I would come to rely on the Cockpit Resources Management Training (CRM) and Human Factors Training I had received. "Mr Lawrence I see that you have been exposed to TCP that's a antiseptic" “No doctor TCP stands for Tri-creisyl phosphate, an organophosphate”. Silence!

I continual to receive treatment from a  hospital that has and continues to prove specialist treatment. I now know the nature of the beast that I am fighting Tri-creisyl phosphate. How many have still to identify their possible current psychiatric misdiagnosis to that of an organic cause?
     
Dr Sarah Mackenzie Ross a clinical neuropsychologist from University  College London has undertaken research on 18+ pilots said to be exposed to oil fumes on the BAe 146 & B757 & found a pattern of abnormal cognitive deficits in all 18. It was the same pattern to similar research undertaken by another psychologist (Leonie Coxon) in Australia testing another group of pilots also said to have been exposed to oil fumes.
               
Leonard Lawrence
Medically retired pilot HS125, BAe146 and B757

 I started flying the BAe 146 in 1989, night flying, within weeks I had visual disturbances in the local supermarket, my alcohom tolerance went to zero, I became a zombie and prefeerred my own company whilst away. I also suffered from a failing memory, slurred speech and word finding difficulties - best summarised by brain fog or feeling permanently intoxicated.

 I rationally and logically put my ill health down to night flying but thought I had early dementia, BSE / CJD ? (mid 1990's)

I told nobody but could continue to do my job - checklists, another pilot, mortgage payments, the 'press on spirit of flying' allows this whole subject to be kept covered up.

It still is!

By 1998 I felt seriously unwell and my memory was so bad that I couldn't transfer to another aircraft; so I logically carried on with the BAe 146 but day time flying....

 At first things seemed better, flying in daylight was a novelty....

 But the ill health never stopped and just got worse and worse.

 In 2002 (31st December ) I had a fiull blown fume event which made me feel even worse than ever (Guys if you ever breathe visible white smoke in a confined space for a long time - you WILL feel sick, regardless of what the CLOT committee think).

We keep offering to demonstarte the phenomenon of visible fumes on the ground in a BAe 146 but for some reason they don't want to test / breathe them......Can't think why?

I carried on flying in 2002/3/4 becoming more and more saturated, still blissfully unaware of the cause of the serious ill health.

 By 2004 I elected not to fly Public Transport aircraft twice, knowing I had hit a brick wall and was a liability to myself and my passengers. Walking off just before departure for a difficult approach in the Alps is not the easiest thing to do, but that's what I did on 29th August 2004. Best decision of my life.

The Companny gave me a hard time as did the CAA for the next few months. I had set a bad example to junior F/O's....

I had three months off work confused and labelled 'stressed' by certain specialist aviation doctors. Believe it or not, I didn't know anything about the 146 & fumes at the time.

It actually removes ones ability to work it out.

I went back to work but soon felt seriously unwell again and again grounded myself in July '05 - still confused and not well.

I then had 6 months of hell as the airline and the CAA grounded me in early 2006 due to 'chronic stress' - how could I argue? After all, they are the experts...No mention of fumes.

A matter of weeks later, when I was planning to be a Driving Instructor, I was contacted by Tristan Loraine (then of BALPA) who asked if I would like to be part of a test on other pilots? - yes - why not. Nothing else to do!

In mid 2006 it became clear that 27 out of 27 pilots had all got abnormal memories and 20 out of 20 had highly abnormal blood / fat results. Some of the pilots couldn't afford to pay the £450 and BALPA were not keen to pay as by then, they could see excatly where this business was heading.

I couldn't beleive what was happening. Suddenly the visual disturbance in the supermarket in 1990 made sense.

Then I relaised that I was not the only one. Pilots, cabin crew and passengers from all over the world were reporting similar problems. Especially from the 146. How come I was the last one to work it out?

I was so sick by what I found that I decided to try and warn other people such that they wouldn't have to experience the horror that I had gone through for so many years.

Tristan Loraine told me that I might be suffering from a problem called Aerotoxic Syndrome in June 2006 - the first time I had ever heard those words. I founded the Aerotoxic Association in early 2007.

By mid 2007 my health was slowly returning to how it had been in 1989 - incredible. 2 full years after stopping flying.

Stop flying - I was very lucky to recover.

My health is now almost totally recovered although I still fall asleep easily in films, have temperature control problems, if I work hard outside the toxins seem to 'fizz up' inside me.

So now I know many other fellow pilots, cabin crew and passengers who have had a similar experience - we may be poisoned but we are not stupid. Anybody finding components of engine oil in their blood / fat can assume that it MIGHT have something to do with any ill health felt.

 It does what it says on the tin.

Seek expert medical attention and advice at:

Please visit www.aerotoxic.org 

 Some general advice.

• Trust your own body.
• Stay off anti depressants - they only mask the problem, if you have been poisoned.
• Talk to the real experts.

John Hoyte

Chairman Aerotoxic Association

Former BAe 146 Training Captain.

 

 

 We are receiving many comments on Learmount's blog post "Toxic subject that won't die":

 Joined a major European Operator and climbed up from the regional turboprops on to the big jets. A few years ago I was sent home after a type recurrent, all results were "SLOW" and I could hardly remember my own name anymore. Memory items were already an issue for half a year prior to this occasion, which I had to study for at least half an hour before every flight. My occupational doctor decided it was a "burn out"
and advised me to sit in front of the tele. He wasn't sure what to do with me and also called in a psychologist to treat me. "It would make his position look stronger!", he said. It felt a bit like being sent to the physio with a broken leg.

A year later I came in contact with a colleague of BA, who was in the same miserable condition. He brought the contaminated air issue to my attention. I was stunned. Having been an Aviation Medical Examiner in the past and never heard of this before I started to dive into this matter. Found a lab in the US which showed Organic Phosphate metabolites in my body to be way above maximum. This, a year after last exposure! I showed these ?evidence based results? to my company-occupational doctor. He refuted everything and said that this was caused by the vegetables I eat and other very "scientific"
statements. Then I got hold of two cabin filters of two different modern jetliners out of the fleet, one only two years ex factory, and had them examined. It was full with TCP. Showed this test result to my company doctor, who again, went into full denial. He called in another Prof. Dr. friend of his and both of them started to convince me that I would find this TCP also behind the refrigerator in my own house, it was my psychological problem, it was again from the biological vegetables which I eat, the test was American and not valid in Europe!
Hmmm, which medical university did you say?

 I went on to our top-management. The good man had never heard of toxic compounds in the cabin before and after half an hour he said he would sent it to the VP in charge of this subject. Utter silence. I forwarded an update of a second test to him a month later, lo and behold a answer by email. He had forwarded it to my boss. It was a problem of the industry and not of the company!
My last flight was a long haul on our newest ?flagship from Seattle?, of which the engines do consume an average of 1 litre Mobil Jet Oil II/hour. After 6 hours symptoms started to appear: severe headache, nausea. I had anticipated this and donned my special Dreager Gas-mask, of which I was told is only used occasionally in remote areas like Iraq. Symptoms started to recede after 20 minutes. I decided that this was the last time I would ever be on a jetliner again.
During the 2 day turn around I found 3 out of 12 Cabin Attendants describing to me the symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathia, also know as severe degradation of the peripheral nerve system ending up in a symmetrical numb feeling of lower arms and hands. That is 25% of a further normal and healthy population of around 40 years old, suffering from long term exposure of TCP.

Our union: the management of our company asked them to not publish anything about this subject. It has been decided on behalf of all the members, without their knowledge and consent to fully comply with this request for the coming years.

Status Quo after a few years: regained most of my health after a 3 month detox, found all types (4) in our fleet 100% positive on TCP in the cabin (some also in separate air samples), have it been explained to me by an engineer why and where in these engines there is always, yes always, some oil fumes leaking away passing the oil seals (4 mm rubber bands sitting there for about 7 years around these shafts, slowly drying up and becoming brittle) and the different paths these fumes do follow to end up in the bleed air. The can of Mobil Jet II oil we use, states there is TCP as an additive, the same stuff I found in the cabin of all the different turbine aircraft and of which our EU International Chemical Safety Card (ICSC:0961) states that we need "local breathing protection" without mention of a minimum dose. I think it is a matter of time before the ?aviation industry? will need a serious explanation in front of different courts.

  We are receiving many comments on Learmount's blog post "Toxic subject that won't die":

I have been sick since 2005. I have flown both the 747 and 777 both with Rolls Royce engines. I can't describe the effect this has had on me personally, financially and emotionally. My symptoms mirror those of so many others on this forum that it is impossible to be a coincidence.
Today I struggle. Remembering where I left the cup of tea I just made.
My brain, my body and my life has been destroyed. The disgrace is that it was sanctioned! They knew before, they know now. It is time for them to pay!!

 From Gas Man:

 I too have suffered greatly from the disgrace of what only can be called the greatest cover up since the Asbestos fiasco years ago. I suffered from exposures from contaminated air for 8 years and had to take a year off from flying to help recover. I had all the various tests which confirmed that I had been exposed to contaminated air, with a whole alphabet of Neurotoxins, including TOCP, Benzene's,( yes there are more than one type) Hexane, N Heptane, Phenol, Carbon Monoxide, just to name a few. More alarming was that a Chest X Ray showed that all the lymph nodes around the lung area lit up like a Christmas tree, with the doctor asking if I had ever suffered from pneumonia! Which, as far as I was aware, I had not. I now know this to be a sign of "Chemical Pneumonia" caused by inhalation of Petrochemical by products, Smoke, Fumes, Aerosols and Vapours.

I have numbness in some of my toes and tingling/burning in the soles of my feet and occasionally the Palms of my hands I still continue to have recall problems and occasional dizzy spells for no apparent reason.

Balpa were next to useless and are obviously having their "Strings Pulled" from on high. After I left the airline there were a considerable number of high profile cases hitting the Press and TV channels, it would appear nothing has changed, as there are still recent reported cases in the local press.

Whatever happend to the Treaty of Rome's "Precaution Principle"?
Why is the Industry still getting away with it?
Why isn't Health and Safety doing anything about it?
Whatever happend to Duty of Care?

Don't even get me started on the Flight Safety aspect, which does not bare thinking about. When there is a serious accident and there will be; it won't be an accident, it will be gross negligence as with all the information and technology available, it could have been prevented.

Gas Man

 From Jillaroo:

I was a Cabin Manager(BAe146,A320 and others) until cumulative exposures resulted in my health deteriorating to a point beyond which it was irretrievable and I could no longer continue to effectively or safely perform my duties in the role as a Cabin Manager.
My symptoms include but are not limited to:
anxiety, depression, dizziness, headaches, hand tremor, memory failure,extreme fatigue, multiple chemical sensitivities.
Implications for me personally are:
*financial due to restrictions with where I can work, *ongoing related health issues affecting everyday life, *emotional, Tristan Lorraine's comments breaking the issue down into the following
4 points clarify the topic more than adequately-any one of them on its own deserves thorough investigation at the highest level.

?Health Effects
?Liability
?Human Rights
?Flight Safety

I can only hope that it does not have to take too many lives in one form or another before this is realised.......

I am a pilot and I was flying the AVRO RJ for one of the major European carriers. I was suffering for more than a decade until I stopped flying that aircraft. Oil fumes in the cockpit and the cabin are everyday business and in spite of all the reports crews are filing the airline just doesn't give a damn. They just keep doing what they have always done, poison crews and passengers ruthlessly and they even don't comply with the service bulletins they have from BAe. When management talks about safety it's all lip service. As long as people don't drop dead on the plane management is interested in schedules, benchmarks and money only.

Like many of my fellow pilots I have had all the short term symptoms during and after flights on aircraft with that well-known oil smell: headache, nausea, sore throat, fatigue, dizziness, sleepiness at day and sleeping problems at night, blurred vision and so on. There were flights when we were using oxygen in the cockpit, because the oil smell was so bad. All the short term symptoms disappeared when I stopped flying that aircraft but heaven knows how those oil fumes affected my health in the long term. I am no longer inhaling oil fumes but many other people still are day after day. And they don't have an oxygen mask.

When you board the plane as a passenger and there is a strange odour,  ask the crew, voice your concerns and when you feel bad, don't fly with that aircraft. And make yourself heard. Maybe the crew would be very grateful.

I am a former Flight Attendant who also has been exposed to Contaminated Air whilst crewing in particular the Bae146 and A320 aircrafts. I had a major documented incident back in April 1999 that resulted in immediate effects to the point that I was immediatly taken to hospital on landing suffering breathing difficulties, paralysis, headache, nausea, confusion,unable to speak properly, burning nose & throat etc. This incident was investigated by my Airline and subsequently covered up. Only through fellow crew (some time after my incident) did I gain access to engineering reports confirming a major engine oil leak was discovered and the engine replaced- yet I was told I had imagined everything that happened to me.

My health continued to deteriorate over some months after the incident and I was unable to fly and still to this day suffer a multitude of symtoms- eg Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities,Peripheral Neuropathy.Headaches, Neurological problems etc. When I questioned my employer on what had happened they went into lock down mode placing me on sick leave and making it very difficult for me to try and find out why I had become so ill. As with many other crew, my biggest problem was getting answers medically on what was wrong with me and finding a doctor that could help me. My airline did nothing to try and rehabilitate me or assist me in regaining my health- they just don't want you anywhere near any other crew where you might speak of what has happened. I was 24 years old when this happened to me. I thought I had the dream job and a bright future ahead of me- little did I know how my life would change. It sickens me that 10 years later, this is still happening and still being covered up.

 

Having flown the Boeing 757 for most of my  career I did not experience a major oil leak incident but I was subjected to frequent short term exposures.  I am told this was due to the non-standard engine oil filling procedure at a certain large Britiish airline.

I was diagnosed with Parkison's Disease in 1996 and managed to carry on flying on a different aircraft for 2 years but on returning to the 757 fleet my health deteriorated again and I lost my licence after another2 years. 

Since then my health has declined slowly but gradually.  I am now on the waiting list for DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) treatment which may restore some of my capabilities. 

When asked whether there was a connection betwween flying and P.D. the reply was " Yes  I believe there is."

It can even get you in a piston twin.  The problem is pyrolised oil.  Top up the hydraulic reservoir on an Islander (BN2).  Get the pilot to board via a disinfectant matt containing acid and then the two come together.  The result is OP contamination "grossly in excess of the occupational exposure limit" - Professor Perkins.  "It is beyond reasonable doubt that the chemical caused the pilots ill health" - Proffesor Seaton CBE.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmtran/809/809we40.htm

As for the cover up, whoes interested that Loganair/BA Express now operating as FlyBE were found 'grossly negligent in their primary duty of care to passengers and staff'?  The connection between the CAA Flight Ops department and the position as Director of Flight Ops at Loganair is a little 'close'.  Funny that.  Meanwhile I still have to keep taking the medication...... :-)

 

I know this problem is not only real but life threatening. I have experienced contaminated air events first hand and suffered the adverse health effects. This is without doubt aviations biggest flight safety issue yet to be addressed.

Why the CAA turn a blind eye can only be linked to who runs the CAA. I have told a senior flight ops inspector about this and the response was akin to 'don't rock the boat my dear chap.'...

This needs an independent public and open investigation before people end up in body bags from the accident that will come and it won't be an accident as TGWU, BALPA, CAA, Government and airlines all know about it.

This is criminal negligence as bad as it gets.

 Another example:

I am a pilot and I was flying the AVRO RJ for one of the major European carriers. I was suffering for more than a decade until I stopped flying that aircraft. Oil fumes in the cockpit and the cabin are everyday business and in spite of all the reports crews are filing the airline just doesn't give a damn. They just keep doing what they have always done, poison crews and passengers ruthlessly and they even don't comply with the service bulletins they have from BAe. When management talks about safety it's all lip service. As long as people don't drop dead on the plane management is interested in schedules, benchmarks and money only.

Like many of my fellow pilots I have had all the short term symptoms during and after flights on aircraft with that well-known oil smell:

headache, nausea, sore throat, fatigue, dizziness, sleepiness at day and sleeping problems at night, blurred vision and so on. There were flights when we were using oxygen in the cockpit, because the oil smell was so bad. All the short term symptoms disappeared when I stopped flying that aircraft but heaven knows how those oil fumes affected my health in the long term. I am no longer inhaling oil fumes but many other people still are day after day. And they don't have an oxygen mask.

When you board the plane as a passenger and there is a strange odour, ask the crew, voice your concerns and when you feel bad, don't fly with that aircraft. And make yourself heard. Maybe the crew would be very grateful.

 

 From Beer Fan:

I have suffered not only on the 146 but also on the A320 I now fly.

The BAe 146 has had this problem since the first flight, BAe knows it, the CAA know it, the Government know it and BALPA have known about it as we told them about it, not once, but time and time again. Everyone has looked the other way.

You can expect the avaition industry and Government to look after their own but BALPA is gutless. Only one guy in BALPA tried to do anything and tried to change things. He was from memory a British Airways pilot who recently made the Toxic Airlines film about this but he stood alone trying to get the union to be a union when all around him did nothing.
That guy deserves a medal and the rest of the union should be prosecuted for negligence.

 How many more need to get sick?