More than 120 toxins are present in commercial aircraft, according to several European environmental agencies and the Federal Aviation Administration. These toxins could pose a danger to those aboard, including airline personnel and frequent travelers.
Toxins Found in Commercial Aircraft
The European Air Safety Agency has detected more than 120 toxins in commercial aircraft, including:
- Organophosphates that are used as a lubricant to aircraft engine oil
- Insecticides
- Flame retardants
- Benzene
- Octane
Additionally, other highly toxic contaminates are inside airplanes, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and formaldehyde.
Many of these toxins creep through compressed air that originates from the engines in aircraft, known as bleed air. Additionally, seals for air intake systems are not always tight and heated lubricants and other chemicals sometimes leak into the air in the cabin. Sometimes these fumes are so excessive that there are reports of “fume events” on passenger jets.
Dangers of Aircraft Toxins
The World Health Organization has recognized the dangerous health effects that air pollutants can cause and have noted that they are a major environmental health risk. Because ventilation systems for major airliner jets are designed for efficiency, they may not do the best job of recycling clean air or blocking fumes that come out of jet engines and enter the cabin area where passengers and personnel can breathe them in. The toxins that are part of commercial aircraft can cause aerotoxic syndrome, a specific set of health conditions some patients have suffered that is linked directly to toxins in plane cabins.
Research on Aircraft Toxins
The Civil Aviation Authority examined two air supply ducts from different airplanes to determine which chemicals and degraded products were present in lubricants, engine oils and hydraulic fluids. They found black particulate material in the contaminated ducts that they determined contained aluminum, silicon, phosphorus and sulfur. An FAA doctor noted that the individual toxins in these aircraft may not be dangerous on their own at their limited concentrations, but they may be highly toxic when combined together.
The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation stated in its 2014 cabin air quality report showed that fume events caused health impairments to occupants of aircraft, including of flight and cabin crew as well as passengers. It said that cabin crew should be protected against hazards in the workplace. Cabin crew do not have oxygen masks available to them to use like the flight crew does. Additionally, passengers do not have access to oxygen masks to keep them safe from toxins. The masks available to them are usually only for rapid decompression and are still comprised of a portion of cabin air. Ultimately, the organization is lobbying for a mask that is certified by the EASA and designed so that passengers and cabin crew do not become chronically ill due to cabin contamination.
In some situations, pilots had to make emergency landings because they or aircrew felt so overwhelmed by fumes that they became incapacitated. They sometimes required hospitalization. In some instances, they were unable to ever return to their job due to the adverse health consequences.
Although there are some studies that have reported about the adverse health effects of these toxins, governments and the aviation industry have largely ignored this issue or failed to address the potential effects of the combination of various toxins or the long-term effects of exposure over a prolonged period of time. Additionally, there are no safe levels for indoor exposure of some of the toxins.
Lawsuits Regarding Aircraft Toxins
Due to the dangers that these toxins have caused, a number of employees and passengers have filed lawsuits.
Possible Solutions
There are a number of possible relations to the problem of toxins in aircraft cabins. For example, air filtration systems and contamination detection systems could be required to be installed in all commercial aircraft. However, there are currently no regulations that require this. EasyJet and Spirit Airlines announced their plan to fit new filtration systems into their aircraft.
The newly introduced Boeing 787 does not use bleed air by using a separate air intake than that used by the engines. This is different than every other passenger jet in which cabin air is a mix of compressed air originating from the engines and recycled air.
Another possible solution is to use sensors that would warn crews of polluted and unsafe air.
