Aerotoxic Association

The Aerotoxic Association was set up on 18 June 2007, at the British Houses of Parliament by Captain John Hoyte, for the purpose of raising public awareness about alleged effects of breathing cabin air on jet aircraft, when engine bleed air is contaminated with engine oil. In addition to providing help and support to aircrew and passengers, the association seeks to lobby for change in regulations to improve the quality of cabin air on airliners.

The phrase Aerotoxic Syndrome was first used in 1999, to describe alleged occupational health conditions, brought about by exposure to air which was alleged to have been contaminated by [jet] engine oil.

Criticism

In contrast to the claims of the Aerotoxic Association "Studies such as the European CabinAir project have shown that normally the levels of chemical and biological contaminants in aircraft are less than in many work environments such as office buildings."

That report examined all exposures dating back to 1943 which showed that all documented exposures were to high concentrations, greatly in excess of the amount present in jet engine oil. He also noted that studies in Canada and the USA were unable to detect TCP in the cabin during flight. Prof Bagshaw notes that the symptoms are "largely the same as those reported by participants in all phase I drug trials", and are similar to the symptoms experienced by patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, gulf war syndrome, Lyme disease, chronic stress and chronic hyperventilation.[1]

"A syndrome is a symptom complex, consistent and common to a given condition. Sufferers of the ‘aerotoxic syndrome’ describe a wide range of inconsistent symptoms and signs with much individual variability. The evidence was independently reviewed by the Aerospace Medical Association, the US National Academy of Sciences and the Australian CASA Expert Panel. All concluded there is insufficient consistency to establish a medical syndrome and the ‘aerotoxic syndrome’ is not recognised in aviation medicine."[2]

References

  1. ↑ Bagshaw Report
  2. ↑ Bagshaw, Prof Michael, King’s College London and Cranfield University, UK (July 2013). "Cabin Air Quality: A review of current aviation medical understanding" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-09-28.

External links