23 August 2024
London, England.
Airline crews and passengers have been complaining of health effects from exposure to contaminated air on aircraft (Aerotoxic Syndrome) for over 4 decades. The first documented case of aircrew impairment from exposure to contaminated air dates back to the early 1950s on military aircraft.
The breathing air supply on commercial jet aircraft, known as ‘bleed air’, is known to become contaminated with engine oil, engine oil decomposition products and/or hydraulic fluids.
Over the last 20 years, there have been over 50 recommendations and findings made by 12 air accident departments globally, directly related to contaminated air exposures on passenger jet aircraft. The British Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), has twice called for contaminated air warning systems to be installed on all large passenger transport aircraft. However, these critical safety recommendations, endorsed by the Global Cabin Air Quality Executive (GCAQE) (gcaqe.org), have been ignored by aircraft manufacturers and aviation regulators such as the FAA, EASA and the UK CAA.
Dr Susan Michaelis, a qualified air accident investigator and Head of Research for the GCAQE commented:
“Aviation is the safest form of travel but it’s totally unacceptable that the industry continues to ignore vital safety recommendations and ignore the evidence that crew impairment is happening. Many chemicals known to contaminate the breathing air supply are odourless and colourless and yet aircraft are flying with no form of contaminated air warning system. The introduction of contaminated air warning sensors and air cleaning technologies would enhance flight safety and the flying experience for thousands of crews and millions of passengers who fly every day.”
The GCAQE has previously called on aviation regulators to mandate the installation and operation of effective ‘bleed air’ air cleaning technologies on all passenger aircraft but aircraft manufacturers and aviation regulators have failed to take such steps.
The industry supported '2024 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference' due to take place on 17 and 18 September 2024, at Imperial College London, will include presentations that will take our knowledge of the issue to a new level.
Presentations and discussions will cover:
An update on the development of a new blood test to confirm exposures to contaminated air on aircraft;
Latest FAA research on ‘Bleed Air’ contamination detection;
The development of a new ‘less hazardous’ oil;
The latest filtration and air cleaning technology developments;
The Global Cabin Air Reporting System (gcars.app);
Medical and flight safety findings along with 25 other films and speakers including airlines TAP and easyJet discussing the operational aspects of contaminated air events.
The breathing air supply on all passenger jet aircraft (except the Boeing 787) is supplied to passengers and crews unfiltered directly from the compression section of the engines or from the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), a small engine in the tail of the aircraft. This is a process known as ‘bleed air’ because it is ‘bled’ from the hot compression section of the engine. The engine bleed air is then supplied - unfiltered - to the flight deck and cabin. As the ‘bleed air’ is not filtered, the presence of synthetic jet engine oil decomposition products and hydraulic fluids in the occupied areas of the cabin/flight deck, that are sourced to the bleed air stream are typically referred to as a ‘contaminated air’ or ‘fume event’ within the industry. These are often described as having a dirty sock smell, the smell of one of the engine oil decomposition products.
Commercial and military engine oils and hydraulic fluids, contain organophosphate compounds and other toxins. Also, the fumes generated upon heating these products in the aircraft engines contain a very complex mixture of chemicals that the product data sheets warn should not be inhaled.
Countless previous air measurements and swab tests have confirmed the presence of the organophosphates tricresyl phosphate and tribuytyl phosphate in the aircraft cabin.
GCAQE Spokesperson Captain Tristan Loraine stated:
“The 2024 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference will help take us one step closer to installing contaminated air warning systems and air cleaning technologies on aircraft. Passengers and crews would expect that these technologies would already be on aircraft and do not want crew members to be impaired in flight, something that continues to happen far too often.”
For further information contact: Captain Tristan Loraine GCAQE Spokesperson Email: tristanloraine@gcaqe.org +44 (0) 7968 213862 | Website: gcaqe.org Global Cabin Air Quality Executive First Floor 10 Queen Street Place London, EC4R 1BE England |
Notes to editors:
Low level oil leakage occurs in normal flight conditions. [1][2]
The GCAQE is a registered not for profit organisation based in London and established in 2006 and is the leading group in the world representing airline employees in relation to the issue of contaminated air on aircraft.
Cabin breathing air on all aircraft apart from the Boeing 787 is taken directly from the engines and provided unfiltered to the aircraft. This is known as 'Bleed Air'.
No aircraft currently flying has any form of detection system fitted to warn when these events occur.
Flight safety has been reported and documented to have been compromised as a consequence of contaminated air events.
Crew and passengers have been reporting contaminated air events for over 5 decades.
Contaminated air events are known to be under reported.
In 2010, the High Court of Australia upheld a ruling that inhaling heated engine oil fumes were harmful (Joanne Turner case).
ICAO issued Cir 344 entitled 'GUIDELINES ON EDUCATION, TRAINING AND REPORTING OF FUME EVENTS’ in 2015 but this has been mostly ignored by airlines.
REF:
Michaelis, S. (2016) "Implementation Of The Requirements For The Provision Of Clean Air In Crew And Passenger Compartments Using The Aircraft Bleed Air System", Cranfield University, UK. Cranfield MSc Thesis.
SAE AIR 4766/2A (2021) “Airborne Chemicals in Aircraft Cabins”
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