The Isherwood Family’s Story
Karen Isherwood and her family were passengers travelling with Ryanair to Tenerife at the end of July 2011 for a two-week family holiday. Karen had a history of chest infections – she had had pneumonia twice and suffered regular occurrences of pleurisy – but she was otherwise fit and well. She was studying for an MBA and working on setting up her own business, in coaching and consultancy.
On the flight Karen and her family didn’t smell anything especially unusual. Her family were sat about six or eight rows from the front of the plane.
Although she felt fine during the flight, immediately after it Karen began to feel woozy and unwell. She thought this was perhaps her reaction to the change of temperature between England and Tenerife. But her symptoms didn’t wear off, instead they intensified. The next day, she says, ‘I was having electric shocks on the right side of my temple which made me feel terrible, I was still in and out of a woozy state and having a racing heartbeat, sickly stomach and completely fatigued. I had tremors in my hands and feet. I had a continuous migraine with pain in my face and eye sockets.’ She saw a doctor, who told her she was having brain seizures, and advised her to go to hospital if she felt no better after a couple of days. As her condition did not improve, Karen did so, and after a full series of tests the doctors at the hospital diagnosed peripheral vertigo, chronic sinusitis and migraine. The treatment she was prescribed made her no better, and she continued to be seriously unwell after the holiday ended.
Karen felt sure her illness was related to the flight, because it had started so quickly after it, and she used her professional skills as a researcher to see if she could find out about ‘illness following a flight’. This brought her in contact with fellow sufferers, and with my own Aerotoxic Association. She has no doubt that she is suffering from aerotoxic syndrome – no other explanation matched her symptoms – but the doctors she consulted did not take this seriously as an alternative.
I did see a neurologist who told me I was suffering with migraines. I didn’t believe it, as he couldn’t explain any other symptoms. … Another consultant … advised me to take Prozac for depression as he thought I had suffered a breakdown because of stress. … I was advised to see the chronic fatigue syndrome team who diagnosed me with having this at a very high level because of my personality type.
I did not finish my MBA, I did not start the business, I didn’t feel like me any more.
Karen’s local MP, Andy Burnham – a personal acquaintance – wrote to the Department of Transport in February 2012, and shortly afterwards she got a letter from Theresa Villiers MP, then the UK Transport Minister. It told her that although there had been a number of reported incidents around the world, the conclusion of research – reference was made particularly to the Cranfield University study – was that there was ‘no evidence of pollutants occurring in cabin air at levels exceeding available health and safety standards and guidelines’. Ms Villiers added that ‘There is no accepted medical condition called aerotoxic syndrome.’ This was despite her calling for a full public enquiry into cabin air quality when she was a Conservative party spokesperson (in a 2008 press release).
It is understandable that airlines resist diagnoses of aerotoxic syndrome, because any admission that people’s problems are related to fume exposure in aircraft would make them legally and financially liable. But why should some university researchers and politicians refuse to acknowledge what the sufferers themselves are sure is the correct diagnosis, because there is no plausible alternative, by not just denying that individuals have aerotoxic syndrome, but denying that such a syndrome exists? That is something we need to investigate further.
(from Aerotoxic Syndrome Aviation’s Darkest Secret by John Hoyte) back to previous page
Karen Isherwood and her family were passengers travelling with Ryanair to Tenerife at the end of July 2011 for a two-week family holiday. Karen had a history of chest infections – she had had pneumonia twice and suffered regular occurrences of pleurisy – but she was otherwise fit and well. She was studying for an MBA and working on setting up her own business, in coaching and consultancy.
On the flight Karen and her family didn’t smell anything especially unusual. Her family were sat about six or eight rows from the front of the plane.
Although she felt fine during the flight, immediately after it Karen began to feel woozy and unwell. She thought this was perhaps her reaction to the change of temperature between England and Tenerife. But her symptoms didn’t wear off, instead they intensified. The next day, she says, ‘I was having electric shocks on the right side of my temple which made me feel terrible, I was still in and out of a woozy state and having a racing heartbeat, sickly stomach and completely fatigued. I had tremors in my hands and feet. I had a continuous migraine with pain in my face and eye sockets.’ She saw a doctor, who told her she was having brain seizures, and advised her to go to hospital if she felt no better after a couple of days. As her condition did not improve, Karen did so, and after a full series of tests the doctors at the hospital diagnosed peripheral vertigo, chronic sinusitis and migraine. The treatment she was prescribed made her no better, and she continued to be seriously unwell after the holiday ended.
Karen felt sure her illness was related to the flight, because it had started so quickly after it, and she used her professional skills as a researcher to see if she could find out about ‘illness following a flight’. This brought her in contact with fellow sufferers, and with my own Aerotoxic Association. She has no doubt that she is suffering from aerotoxic syndrome – no other explanation matched her symptoms – but the doctors she consulted did not take this seriously as an alternative.
I did see a neurologist who told me I was suffering with migraines. I didn’t believe it, as he couldn’t explain any other symptoms. … Another consultant … advised me to take Prozac for depression as he thought I had suffered a breakdown because of stress. … I was advised to see the chronic fatigue syndrome team who diagnosed me with having this at a very high level because of my personality type.
I did not finish my MBA, I did not start the business, I didn’t feel like me any more.
Karen’s local MP, Andy Burnham – a personal acquaintance – wrote to the Department of Transport in February 2012, and shortly afterwards she got a letter from Theresa Villiers MP, then the UK Transport Minister. It told her that although there had been a number of reported incidents around the world, the conclusion of research – reference was made particularly to the Cranfield University study – was that there was ‘no evidence of pollutants occurring in cabin air at levels exceeding available health and safety standards and guidelines’. Ms Villiers added that ‘There is no accepted medical condition called aerotoxic syndrome.’ This was despite her calling for a full public enquiry into cabin air quality when she was a Conservative party spokesperson (in a 2008 press release).
It is understandable that airlines resist diagnoses of aerotoxic syndrome, because any admission that people’s problems are related to fume exposure in aircraft would make them legally and financially liable. But why should some university researchers and politicians refuse to acknowledge what the sufferers themselves are sure is the correct diagnosis, because there is no plausible alternative, by not just denying that individuals have aerotoxic syndrome, but denying that such a syndrome exists? That is something we need to investigate further.
(from Aerotoxic Syndrome Aviation’s Darkest Secret by John Hoyte) back to previous page