What's in the fumes?
Remoak,
I think we are all agreed that anybody with a bit of mishandling can fill an aeroplane with fumes relatively easily from the APU on the ground?
The question is, where do the fumes originate from? Would it be a fair assumption to agree that they come from the oil within the APU? It can't be the fuel after all. Still agreed?
Now if you look at the oil tin contents it advises you (or used to) that there are dangerous toxic chemicals which are deliberately put into the oil to make the APU last longer and act as a fire retardent. Still agreed?
If you now breathe these fumes (with experience everybody works out ways to reduce the fumes) but one is still left with APU's of different age and condition and of course flying with other pilots, who might not handle the controls in the approved manner.
I have witnessed a cabin and cockpit full of fumes on many, many occasions in 16 years of flying. Not deliberate obviously, it's just another fact.
So these are my concerns and the fact that nobody knows officially what those fumes are made from makes me wonder whether they want to find the answer?
If you know, please tell me. Because I think the fumes may have been responsible for altering my health over time.
Written English is not my strong point, but hopefully people can maybe at least begin to understand how many people have suffered over the years.
Why don't they at least test the theory? To have Doctors telling injured pilots that it may be due to "ingesting de icing fluid" - in the middle of summer is just XXXXXXXX sorry, i've run out of words.....insulting?