Welsh Worried About Pilots Passing Out
Aircraft flying over Wales, England
could spiral out of control because its pilots are being poisoned
in flight by toxic fumes, reports Wales on Sunday. That is the
shocking warning from one former airline pilot who had to give up
his $103,000-a-year job after years of being exposed to the deadly
gasses. The issue came up when a former airlines pilot gave up his
job flying after being exposed to fumes after years in the
cockpit.
John Hoyte, chairman of the Aerotoxic Association, said that
aircraft crew could pass out and endanger flights. He told the
Wales paper on Sunday: "Pilots can be knocked out by the fumes and
in that situation there's every chance a plane could crash. Cardiff
or any other city could be taken out."
"Many times we've seen pilots become completely incapacitated
and completely unable to fly the aircraft. If you get two pilots
knocked out at the same time you've got a real, real problem.
Almost certainly accidents can be caused by it."
Hoyte says insistantly thousands of commercial airline pilots
are being exposed to deadly gases because of poor fuel lines in
jets. Symptoms of poisoning include drowsiness, memory loss and
dizziness, for both pilots and passengers. Experts say the
condition - known as Aerotoxic Syndrome - also hits around 200,000
passengers every year.
"Several Welsh airline pilots who had been forced out of their
jobs after inhaling toxic gases because they were left unable to
fly planes safely," Hoyte said. Some jets are worse that others, he
claimed.
"This can affect any pilot, but certain planes have a worse
reputation. The worst offenders are the BAE146 and the Boeing 757,"
said Hoyte. ANN also reported on the BAE Nimrod fuel
leaks.
The problem, called a 'fume event,' takes place when air
entering the plane's engines becomes contaminated with toxic
chemicals used in engine oil, according to the Wales story. The
chemicals then get mixed up with the cabin's oxygen supply and
poisonous air is pumped into the aircraft. Critics say nothing is
being done because it would cost billions to re-design the engine
air intakes.
Military police, unions, scientists and retired pilots are now
demanding a public inquiry. The toxic smell is compared to "Sweaty
feet or old tennis shoes," according to a report in the Aerotoxic
Syndrome written by Welsh doctor Sarah Myhill.
"Some of the cabin crew have commented that when they noticed
this smell they would walk up and down the aircraft trying to see
if one of the passengers had their shoes off," Myhill from
Knighton.
Myhill's report warns that because Aerotoxic Syndrome is not
classified as a disease, it is difficult to get any medical
help.
"You can expect your doctor to do a series of blood tests and
tell you there is nothing abnormal and therefore nothing wrong,"
she says.
Other symptoms caused by the syndrome include chest pains,
shortness of breath, muscle twitching or cramp and sweating.
Earlier this week, low-cost airline Flybe - which operates 50
flights to and from Cardiff International Airport every week - had
to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off from
Birmingham on a flight to Stuttgart because toxic fumes began
leaking into the cabin.
It was the third time this year that fumes have leaked into
their cabins. Crew from the same airline refused to fly because of
fears they would inhale the toxic chemicals, according to airline
officials.
"We take any evidence of health risk to pilots and cabin crew
very seriously and continue to work closely with the Department for
Transport's Aviation Health Working Group on this further
research," a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said.
"The CAA will continue to closely monitor any reports of
contaminated cabin air on UK registered aircraft and will ensure
existing measures to maintain flight safety are strictly
enforced."