My first on-duty flight was on the iconic B747, the Queen of the Skies, the fabulous jumbo jet to New York. All these years later, I still remember the unmistakable roar of her engines as we raced down the runway for take-off to begin my long flying career. I trusted Boeing and the technical maintenance services of the five-star airline I flew for. As my father, a pilot himself, used to say: Boeing and this (German) airline are the best of the best.
Decades later, shocking news emerges that Boeing airplanes were falling apart in midair, that probably maintenance and servicing were way below par and that blind eyes are being turned.
During my career, a sense of distrust arose as we became aware of issues, including the problem of 'disinsection' spraying and the mysterious illnesses of hundreds of cabin crew – I mention cabin crew mainly in this case since it was cabin crew and their union who made the problem public, but pilots were also affected. As concerns grew, it became evident that the fumes from 'bleed air' were causing additional illness among many of us.
When taking over a plane from the previous crew, one can often encounter an unpleasant smell similar to that of an unventilated gym, sweaty trainers, or wet dogs. But it is none of those. That is the distinctive smell of certain gaseous chemicals that have seeped into the seats, carpets, and walls.
It has since been revealed that both the aircraft manufacturer and the airlines were aware of this issue all along.
"Certain mechanical failures that can lead to contamination...“.(Boeing).
(IMAGE Boieng engineer email)
Some History
In 1939, Captain of the Medical Corps and Director of the Aero Medical Research Laboratory, Dr. Harry G. Armstrong wrote about "Noxious Fluids and Gases in Aviation: Hot Oil Fumes" (pp. 178-180 in: Principles and Practice of Aviation Medicine, Aero Medical Research Laboratory, United States Army, published by The Williams & Wilkins Company, Baltimore, Maryland)
He notes "several cases" of inhalation of hot oil fumes brought to his attention by pilots. The symptoms were "similar to, and initially confused with, carbon monoxide poisoning." He notes that the high concentrations of oil fumes mentioned in animal studies would not occur in aircraft, but "the effects of lower concentrations are apparently sufficient to endanger flight safety.
There is no dispute that oil fumes, which often have a "dirty socks" odor, have occasionally leaked into cockpits and cabins since jet aircraft designers began using systems that draw air from jet engines, known as "bleed" systems.
As early as 1953, Boeing issued a "Decontamination Program" report based on a study of bleed air in B-52 flights.
"The report noted that the potential toxic effects of contamination were still unknown. Therefore, with few exceptions, the crew used 100% oxygen during all flights and removed their masks only briefly to make observations."
The text states that "the odor penetrates the men's nasal passages, clothing, oxygen masks, cabin linings, etc., and lingers for a considerable time after exposure".
While acknowledging that contaminated air can enter aircraft cabins when seals fail, the industry has long maintained that cabin air is safe and that such exposures are rare and would not cause long-term health effects.
Pilots, flight attendants, and even passengers have claimed that the fumes have caused long-term ailments such as tremors, memory loss, dizziness, disorientation, headaches, and fatigue. However, these cases have been difficult to prove. Some crew members who have lost their jobs due to fume-related illnesses claim that the airline industry and many regulators covered up the problem, understated its severity, and made it difficult for affected crew members to get prompt medical attention.
Consideration of the toxicological implications is given little weight until you're literally "hit in the head," so you could say: that until top managers are affected, they won't do anything.
In 1973, Dr. J.G. Gaume, M.D. Aviation Medicine Safety Research Science Research wrote a report:
"Since the DC-IO has been put into operational airline service, initially with United Airlines and American Airlines, a number of complaints of cephalalgia (headaches) have been made by the cabin attendants (C.A.) of both airlines. Related complaints have been received describing "unpleasant, sour, irritating, acrid and pungent" odors in the cabins and lower galleys of the OC-10. The odors have been variously attributed to spilled and decomposing food, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hot metal, and other causes. CO and CO2, being odorless, could not be responsible for the "odors" described above. Therefore, any odors present must be due to some other contaminant(s) in the cabin environment. (sic)
Since then, additional research has been conducted and new findings published. The effects of such a gaseous mixture in an acute event are unknown. They say. However countless crew, pilots and cabin crew have been injured, in many cases for life.
What would happen if both pilots were affected? In flight.
Study Shows 'Toxic Air Events' Happen On More Flights Than FAA Reports
In the past and also nowadays it appears that there is a problem with technical logs disappearing and issues not being addressed, or are being put on the back-bench by service personnel. Additionally, pilots frequently fail to report malfunctions or downplay them.
Needless to say, it is important to address these issues to ensure safety and prevent potential accidents.
In my next article, I will share a pilot Flight Report following such a fume event.
Stay tuned, subscribe (it’s free), and please like and share.
Everything on the subject of Cabin Air Quality, Fume Events, Aerotoxic Syndrome, and the problems with “disinsection” can be found at UNFILTERED, where we also have a Petition: please sign and share it! Read testimonies, current and past court cases, and much more.
Decades later, shocking news emerges that Boeing airplanes were falling apart in midair, that probably maintenance and servicing were way below par and that blind eyes are being turned.
During my career, a sense of distrust arose as we became aware of issues, including the problem of 'disinsection' spraying and the mysterious illnesses of hundreds of cabin crew – I mention cabin crew mainly in this case since it was cabin crew and their union who made the problem public, but pilots were also affected. As concerns grew, it became evident that the fumes from 'bleed air' were causing additional illness among many of us.
When taking over a plane from the previous crew, one can often encounter an unpleasant smell similar to that of an unventilated gym, sweaty trainers, or wet dogs. But it is none of those. That is the distinctive smell of certain gaseous chemicals that have seeped into the seats, carpets, and walls.
It has since been revealed that both the aircraft manufacturer and the airlines were aware of this issue all along.
"Certain mechanical failures that can lead to contamination...“.(Boeing).
(IMAGE Boieng engineer email)
Some History
In 1939, Captain of the Medical Corps and Director of the Aero Medical Research Laboratory, Dr. Harry G. Armstrong wrote about "Noxious Fluids and Gases in Aviation: Hot Oil Fumes" (pp. 178-180 in: Principles and Practice of Aviation Medicine, Aero Medical Research Laboratory, United States Army, published by The Williams & Wilkins Company, Baltimore, Maryland)
He notes "several cases" of inhalation of hot oil fumes brought to his attention by pilots. The symptoms were "similar to, and initially confused with, carbon monoxide poisoning." He notes that the high concentrations of oil fumes mentioned in animal studies would not occur in aircraft, but "the effects of lower concentrations are apparently sufficient to endanger flight safety.
There is no dispute that oil fumes, which often have a "dirty socks" odor, have occasionally leaked into cockpits and cabins since jet aircraft designers began using systems that draw air from jet engines, known as "bleed" systems.
As early as 1953, Boeing issued a "Decontamination Program" report based on a study of bleed air in B-52 flights.
"The report noted that the potential toxic effects of contamination were still unknown. Therefore, with few exceptions, the crew used 100% oxygen during all flights and removed their masks only briefly to make observations."
The text states that "the odor penetrates the men's nasal passages, clothing, oxygen masks, cabin linings, etc., and lingers for a considerable time after exposure".
While acknowledging that contaminated air can enter aircraft cabins when seals fail, the industry has long maintained that cabin air is safe and that such exposures are rare and would not cause long-term health effects.
Pilots, flight attendants, and even passengers have claimed that the fumes have caused long-term ailments such as tremors, memory loss, dizziness, disorientation, headaches, and fatigue. However, these cases have been difficult to prove. Some crew members who have lost their jobs due to fume-related illnesses claim that the airline industry and many regulators covered up the problem, understated its severity, and made it difficult for affected crew members to get prompt medical attention.
Consideration of the toxicological implications is given little weight until you're literally "hit in the head," so you could say: that until top managers are affected, they won't do anything.
In 1973, Dr. J.G. Gaume, M.D. Aviation Medicine Safety Research Science Research wrote a report:
"Since the DC-IO has been put into operational airline service, initially with United Airlines and American Airlines, a number of complaints of cephalalgia (headaches) have been made by the cabin attendants (C.A.) of both airlines. Related complaints have been received describing "unpleasant, sour, irritating, acrid and pungent" odors in the cabins and lower galleys of the OC-10. The odors have been variously attributed to spilled and decomposing food, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hot metal, and other causes. CO and CO2, being odorless, could not be responsible for the "odors" described above. Therefore, any odors present must be due to some other contaminant(s) in the cabin environment. (sic)
Since then, additional research has been conducted and new findings published. The effects of such a gaseous mixture in an acute event are unknown. They say. However countless crew, pilots and cabin crew have been injured, in many cases for life.
What would happen if both pilots were affected? In flight.
Study Shows 'Toxic Air Events' Happen On More Flights Than FAA Reports
In the past and also nowadays it appears that there is a problem with technical logs disappearing and issues not being addressed, or are being put on the back-bench by service personnel. Additionally, pilots frequently fail to report malfunctions or downplay them.
Needless to say, it is important to address these issues to ensure safety and prevent potential accidents.
In my next article, I will share a pilot Flight Report following such a fume event.
Stay tuned, subscribe (it’s free), and please like and share.
Everything on the subject of Cabin Air Quality, Fume Events, Aerotoxic Syndrome, and the problems with “disinsection” can be found at UNFILTERED, where we also have a Petition: please sign and share it! Read testimonies, current and past court cases, and much more.
