London – Campaigners are gathered in London to alert the travelling public to the possible risks from “aerotoxic fumes”.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation hosted a forum this week about the risks of contaminated air for flight crew and passengers after the death of a 43-year-old BA pilot, Richard Westgate.
Cabin air is typically “bled” from the aircraft jet engines. In normal operation there should be no danger, but leaking oil seals or maintenance errors can lead to toxins – including organophosphate additives – contaminating the air supply.
The federation, which represents pilots, cabin crew and ground staff worldwide, says contaminated air causes “serious health issues that also compromise the health and safety of other workers and passengers”.
It warns the effects include tunnel vision, fainting and memory loss, and is briefing cabin crew to be aware of a musty odour that can appear similar to the smell of dirty socks, a wet dog or vomit.
“In some cases, you may not smell or see anything, but you may still feel sick,” says the federation.
The forum is organised by the Global Cabin Air Quality Executive, whose co-chair, Captain Tristan Loraine, said: “The only long-term safe solution is for all aircraft to be built with the unique bleed-free architecture on the Boeing 787 – the only commercial jet aircraft in which crews and passengers can fly knowing the air they breathe will be free of hazardous jet engine oil fumes.”
A spokesman for British Airways said: “We would not operate an aircraft if we believed it posed a health or safety risk to our customers or crew. Independent research, commissioned by the Department for Transport, concluded that there was no evidence that pollutants occur in the cabin air at levels exceeding available health and safety standards.”
The coroner investigating the death of BA pilot, Richard Westgate, has written to the airline and the Civil Aviation Authority about the risks to flight crew from “bleed air”.
In cases where coroners consider lives to be at risk, they are obliged to contact organisations that they believe could help prevent future deaths.
Sheriff Stanhope Payne, a senior coroner, has called upon BA and the CAA to address several areas of concern: “That the occupants of aircraft cabins are exposed to organophosphate compounds with consequential damage to their health; that impairment of the health of those controlling the aircraft may lead to the death of occupants; there is no real-time monitoring to detect such compounds in cabin air.”
Frank Cannon, the solicitor representing Westgate’s family, said: “When a plane lands, the passengers get off, but the crew turn around and do the same thing all over again, day in day out.”
A BA spokesman said: “We will respond to the coroner in due course. It would be inappropriate to comment further while proceedings are continuing.”
David Learmount, operations and safety editor of Flightglobal, drew a parallel between cabin air contamination and the legal war between the tobacco industry and the medical profession: “Everyone knew that there was a connection, but the burden of proof was with the victims.”
The British Airline Pilots’ Association remains unconvinced.
The union says: “Despite having allocated considerable members’ funds and being involved in many aspects of research, we have yet to see consistent, credible and viable evidence of a robust nature which meets scientific criteria.”
The Independent