Are planes poisoning us?

Contaminated air
Can Panorama tomorrow evening get action? Their programme is devoted to air in aircraft that may be contaminated.

My efforts over the past three years have been politely acknowledged but no remedial action has been taken. Many of the professionals are extremely worried. Some hold back because they do not want to damage their own industry.  80 MPs signed up to EDM 1316 Contaminated Air on Commercial Aircraft that I tabled in January 2006. It read

That this House is concerned that medical and scientific evidence shows that as many as 200,000 passengers a year are exposed to air contaminated with organophosphates and hydrocarbon compounds on UK registered aircraft and that the number of contaminated events in 2005 reported by the British Airline Pilots Association, were a record high; regrets the lack of UK research into the danger of exposure to pyrolised engine oils; notes that effective filtration systems costing less than £10,000 per aircraft are available and calls for their mandatory use to reduce serious risks to the health of the travelling public and operating crews; and believes that passengers should be informed when they have been exposed to air contamination on UK registered aircraft.

This was followed by a series of oral and written questions. The answers were vacuous.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking in relation to contaminated air events on commercial aircraft.

Ms Buck: The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology report dated November 2000 (paragraph 4.41) found concerns about contaminated air events to be unsubstantiated. Nevertheless, we have requested an evidence review of documentation submitted by BALPA on this matter by the independent Committee on Toxicity; and this is in hand.

Having drawn a blank with written questions, I tried an oral one at Business Questions after a fresh incident.

Paul Flynn: Contaminated air on planes has been raised by the British Air Line Pilots Association, which is greatly anxious about the incidents that occurred last year in which 200,000 passengers on British planes were exposed to contamination from fumes from organophosphates and hydrocarbons.

Since the early-day motion was tabled on 9 January, there has been a further incident in a plane flying from Belfast airport whereby the pilot became incapacitated and could not react to his safety instructions. The other pilot had to take over, and the flight was recalled to Belfast airport.

Mr. Hoon: I know that this matter is taken extremely seriously by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. It is being investigated, and I will ensure that he writes to my hon. Friend.

Subsequently I received this letter.
Department for Transport Great Minster House 76 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DR

10 March 2006

Dear Paul

You requested a debate on EDM 1316. You should note that we are fully aware of the concerns raised about the issue of contaminated air on-board aircraft and the risks associated with exposure to airline passengers or crew and we are committed to establishing whether and to what extent any such risks exist.

The Civil Aviation Bill currently being debated in the House of Lords places a general duty on the Government to organise, carry out and encourage measures for safeguarding the health of persons on board aircraft. If this is not unique in the world, it certainly places the UK Government among the leaders in promoting aviation health. We shall take the responsibility seriously.


After the review, we should have a clearer idea of the issues and requirements for any further research needs. If ultimately a need is demonstrated for some kind of action, such as design changes or regulation, the Government would need evidence to convince other EU Member States, none of whom appear at present to be investigating the issue.

Yours sincerely Karen Buck

In February this year, I tabled a new version of the EDM that has now been signed by 63 MPs but there is still no sign of Government action. Over to you Panorama.

More details on www.aopis.org

Comments

[Frank Brehany]

Dear Mr Flynn

HolidayTravelWatch supports your work on this matter. We continue to hear from Consumers affected by a fume or smoke event on board aircraft. I have written a number of articles on this matter, and we have created a Global Petition on this issue which is situated on our website. The petition calls for urgent action by the airline industry to install filters on board 'air bleed supply' aircraft, and for Governments around the world to create the environment whereby the airline industry are encouraged and perhaps supported to carry out this necessary work, for the protection of passengers and crew. We carried out a Facebook Small survey in November 2007. We discovered that of those who took part, 15% reported that they had experienced a fume or smoke event; of the same number who were surveyed, 5% reported that they had become ill following exposure to a fume or smoke event. I note the CAA recorded that there were 264,083 flight movements in the UK in January 2008. If you apply our survey findings, it suggests that some 39,612 flights, over the UK, in January 2008, suffered a smoke or fume event. I take the view, that whatever the debate, on who is right and who is wrong, there is a clear risk which should be recognised and dealt with. That risk should not be allowed to continue with this form of transport, the consequences are ordinarily horrendous, imagine the consequences if there was a flight emergency!

[Paul Flynn]

Thank you Frank Brehany. That's very informative and helpful. Panoram have a good record in arousing the public's conscience on issues that have been ignored or neglected.

There is deep worry on this issue among the flights crews. The figures you quote are worrying. I am grateful for the update on the figures.

[dotcommentator]

Good work with this, Mr Flynn.

If you are not already aware, there has also been some coverage of this matter in Private Eye this year.

[Paul Flynn]

Thanks, dotcommentator. No I do see Private Eye. I will look up the reference. Thanks

[Sue Dale]

A major British airline cancels flights on a daily basis because so many of its cabin crew are on sick leave yet still it denies contaminated cabin air is the cause of so much illness.We urgently need a public enquiry into this scandal.£10k-£20k per aircraft to fit filters is peanuts but they won't do it because that is tantamount to admitting they have been poisoning their customers and crews for years and they are afraid of the law suits that will fly in their direction.People are dying and having their lives wrecked and it has to be stopped.