T&G says government should come clean on contaminated air on commercial aircraft
The Transport and General Workers Union today called on the government to tell the millions of people who fly on commercial airlines that they are sometimes being exposed to contaminated air on jet aircraft. Union officials representing cabin crew said these risks have been present for over thirty years but successive governments, as well as the airlines, have not told passengers what they have been exposed to nor have they spelt out the risks of exposure.
Oliver Richardson, T&G regional industrial organiser, said when air is contaminated on commercial jet aircraft this results in a slightly chemical, wet dog, vomit, dirty sock type smell in the cabin. He added that the T&G has been advised that contamination means crew and passengers breathe air which will contain volatile organic compounds such as benzene, the organophosphate TCP and possibly carbon monoxide as these would be present due to the air being contaminated with pyrolised engine oils and hydraulic fluids.
“Exposure to contaminated air results in crews having symptoms which include headaches, nausea, respiratory, gastro-intestinal, temporary mild flu-like symptoms and such like in the short term and a selection of neurological type problems in the long term,” he explained. “The chronic neurotoxicity of inhaling these heated compounds has never been tested. Only extreme medical conditions such as the medical condition OPIDN has been investigated in hens. This is very different to the neurological and other injuries consistently being reported by crews and passengers following these events.”
A report last week by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution on ‘Crop Spraying and the Health of Residents and Bystanders’ was cited in support of the union’s concerns. Section 5.47 of that report said: “We recommend that in consultations and in dialogue with the public concerning pesticides, as in other areas of uncertainty, science should not be positioned without argument as being beyond doubt. It should be presented in a manner that is open about the level of risk and uncertainty involved.”
Mr. Richardson said union representatives were calling on the government to:
- Stop the denial that there is a serious health and safety issue linked to contaminated air on commercial jet aircraft both in the UK and worldwide.
- Tell airlines that they must inform passengers and crew they have been exposed rather than the current silence.
- Advise passengers and crews of the fact that they are sometimes being exposed to these toxic compounds and the neurotoxicity of inhaling these heated oils and hydraulic fluids has never been tested.
- Recommend to all airlines to fit bleed air filtration systems to commercial jet aircraft as currently the air being supplied from the engines is not filtered for contaminants.
- Fit contaminated air detection systems on commercial aircraft.
- Set up a proper medical protocol for dealing with passengers and crews exposed to contaminated air.
For further information please call the T&G Press Office on 020 7611 2550