Mon, Jul 28, 2003
Debugging Airlines Is Bugging Pax
You're sitting in coach,
looking forward to getting home. But between you and the front door
is a long Air France flight from Paris to Boston. The aircraft is
taxiing toward the active runway when you suddenly look up from
your crossword puzzle, alarmed by a bizarre stench in the cabin.
You look around and spot the flight attendants calmly spraying the
cabin for insects. Would that... er... bug you?
It certainly bothered Dr.
Samson Munn, a physician traveling back to Boston with his pregnant
wife and their 21-month old daughter on Air France Flight 322 on
July 6th. Munn told the "Boston Globe" that his daughter became
seriously ill after the cabin was sprayed. He was also worried
about the effects of the pesticide on his unborn baby. "The
administration to us of the insecticide was against our will,
without our explicit permission, and thus in clear violation of
medical ethics and generally accepted international norms of
medical care," Munn said.
Air France says the pilot decided to have the cabin sprayed
after passengers reported seeing flying ants. A Department of
Transportation spokesman said the spraying was a bit out of the
ordinary, but didn't violate any laws. Still, while the insecticide
used, permethrin, was approved for use on airlines in the early
1990s by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency regards it as a possible carcinogen, with
exposure the most hazardous for children, people with asthma and
pregnant women.
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