The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : Toxic cockpit fumes that bring danger to the skies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 27, 2006

Opinion

Opinion - News Analysis

Toxic cockpit fumes that bring danger to the skies

Antony Barnett

Dozens of pilots have flown while dizzy, nauseous and suffering double vision on crowded passenger flights. The cause is contaminated air and it can strike without warning - but the cases have been kept from the public.

THREE WEEKS ago the pilot of a FlyBe flight from Belfast international airport to London Gatwick was preparing his passenger jet for takeoff. He had just received clearance from air traffic control and released the aircraft's brakes, pushing forward on the power levers in the cockpit to open the throttle.

As the plane began to accelerate down the runway at more than 100 mph, he began to smell a strange odour described as similar to a "central heating boiler." His throat became very dry and his eyes began to burn. Such was his discomfort that he was forced to hand control of the plane to his co-pilot. His fingers were tingling and his shirt soaked in sweat. He was confused, talking incoherently and unable to answer questions from his co-pilot. He could not accurately do safety checks. An emergency was declared and the flight returned to Belfast.

In December, a pilot flying a passenger aircraft for another airline experienced something eerily similar when he brought his aircraft in to land. The captain had complained of a strange smell on the flight deck before his first officer pointed out that he was making "operational errors," including missing calls from air traffic control and misjudging the aircraft's altitude and speed on descent. Over the next two days the captain was unable to fly, suffering severe headaches and fatigue. Two months earlier, on a flight to Gatwick, a pilot handling the takeoff had pains in his chest and complained of breathing difficulties. His heart was beating unusually fast. The captain quickly realised his co-pilot was in trouble and took the controls. But at an altitude of 850 feet and within 10 seconds he began to feel similar symptoms himself. Both pilots had to don oxygen masks.

The three events are just some of dozens of cases detailed in a pilot database compiled from confidential testimony to the pilots' union, the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), and official records of the U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). It details more than 100 incidents in the past three years in which contaminated fumes are alleged to have entered airliner cockpits and cabins. It reveals that in more than 40 of these events since 2003 one or more pilots were impaired in a way that could have affected their ability to fly. Since 2004 pilots flying BA aircraft suffered a degree of impairment from fumes on at least six occasions.

Yet the public has never been told what is happening in the cockpit. The British Parliament has not been told the full extent of the problem. The database by concerned pilots and cabin crew paints a picture of pilots flying with double vision, headaches, nausea, loss of concentration, and disorientation. Some complain of feeling "spaced out" and making errors; others say cabin crew have been affected, with some passing out and being hospitalised.

The chemical name for the dangerous ingredient getting into passenger aircraft is triorthocresyl phosphate, more commonly known as TCP. It is an additive of engine oil used in commercial aircraft. These oils are highly specialised synthetic lubricants vital to a jet's operation. Research has shown that when they reach a very high temperature, as they do on takeoff or landing, they burn and give off hazardous compounds like TCPs. These chemicals are part of the family of organophosphates, similar in structure to pesticides and chemicals used in sheep dip. For years they have been linked to long-term chronic health problems.

Passenger jets have to operate complex systems to ensure that the air within the cabin remains breathable for passengers and crew, even at high altitudes. The filtered air supply is known as the "bleed air." Evidence reveals that in some aircraft with poor engine design, leaky seals or a poor maintenance record, this air can become contaminated with fumes from the jet engines. Research suggests the effect of exposure to TCP can be mild, from a strange taste in the mouth to nausea. But it can lead to symptoms that can incapacitate pilots. Some scientists believe the long-lasting effects for those repeatedly exposed can lead to chronic health problems. Some in the industry fear a potential health scandal and have called it aerotoxic syndrome. Research by a consultant clinical neuropyschologist at University College, London estimates that 197,000 passengers may have been exposed to such fumes in 2004.

Captain Colin Barnett-Higgins, 62, flew for 35 years for several airlines. He took early retirement in 2000 on medical grounds after what he believes was repeated exposure to contaminated oil fumes. His troubles began in 1997. "You normally smelt it when starting the APU [auxiliary power unit] on the ground," he said. "That's your source of electrics and air before the main engines start taxiing. It can get worse on take-off and you begin to feel very tired and exhausted. At the time I never realised. I just struggled on... I hope it doesn't take a disaster for people to take notice."

Today Capt. Barnett-Higgins suffers from chronic fatigue, acute headaches, memory loss, and severe pains in his joints. He only realised his health problems may have been a result of fumes when he read of another incident five years ago in the Log, Balpa's house magazine. "Until then I had put it down to getting older," he said.

It's not just pilots. An air hostess said: "I was a cabin crew member on a 757 in August last year. All the crew had headaches and felt like we were all drunk after smelling fumes in the cabin most of the flight from Glasgow to London. Two passengers asked what was going on. All I could do was the usual and say the smell was harmless. Harmless my foot, our union has several crews sick from these fumes." An engineer for BAe 146s — one of the worst affected — said: "We've had numerous events where crews have been lucky not to bend the aircraft. I know crews who are sick. I will not let my family fly on the 146 because I believe exposure to those oil fumes is harmful. The public needs to know."

Some pilots, cabin crew and trade unions believe there is huge pressure from the airline industry to downplay the problem to avoid spending millions rectifying it. There is also the threat of huge legal bills should crew or passengers prove their health problems are linked to toxic fumes while flying. The response by the industry is that, while it admits there are incidents involving contaminated air, there is no evidence it presents a major safety issue or health hazard, and the amount of TCP those on an aircraft might ingest is too small to present "a significant health risk."

The Countess of Mar, with the Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tyler, has been using Britain's House of Lords to reveal the problem. In November she asked the Department of Transport: "How many reports [on exposure to contaminated air in UK aircraft] have been received for each year since 1995?" Responding for the government, Lord Davies of Oldham, quoting from reports made to the CAA, said that since 2003 there had been 100 incidents but only one case of "pilot impairment."

He added that all these reports were investigated and "specific continued airworthiness actions have been taken in respect of BAe 146 and Boeing 757 aircraft to mitigate any effects and to reduce the frequency of occurrence. However, the number of events where impairment has been reported has remained low."

Data reveal that the level of pilot impairment is higher than previously admitted, a fact the CAA has had to accept after responding to our inquiries.

Across the skies this weekend thousands will fly without knowing of the danger that could be seeping in through the air-conditioning system. Pilots are demanding that others take their concerns more seriously before something terrible happens.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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