Constant Exposure To Bleed Air - Organophosphate Poisoning

[Guest longtimer]

BA crew autopsies show organophosphate poisoning

By: David Learmount

London

Source: Flightglobal.com

in 4 hours

Sustained exposure to organophosphates (OP) from contaminated cabin air contributed to the death of a 43-year-old ­British Airways pilot, a group of medical experts believe.

The findings are likely to increase pressure on the industry to take the issue of sustained crew exposure to ­engine bleed air more seriously. Airlines and governments have previously dismissed suggestions that bleed air can be a factor behind flightcrew falling ill.

The pilot, senior first officer Richard Westgate, started flying professionally in 1996 and worked for various airlines before joining BA in 2007. He died in December 2012 after years of increasingly serious symptoms of sickness that went undiagnosed in the UK, despite reference to 15 different medical consultants.

The symptoms included headaches, loss of memory and numbness in his limbs. He was grounded on full pay in September 2011, and consultation with a neurologist in Amsterdam followed. As a result, extensive medical details of his symptoms before death are on record.

Although no coroners inquest has been held into his death, medical experts led by Prof Mohamed Abou-Donia of Duke University Medical School, North Carolina the worlds leading authority on organophosphate poisoning have published a study into two autopsies carried out on Westgate, who until his illness was a slim, fit, non-smoking paragliding champion.

Abou-Donia and his colleagues are also investigating the January 2014 death of an unnamed 34-year-old BA airline steward, whose tissue samples indicate degradation that appears identical to the pilots case, and is consistent with organophosphate-induced neurotoxicity. Both Westgate and the steward died in their beds.

Abou-Donia says Westgates case is one of the worst cases of organo-phosphate [OP] poisoning I have come across.

In all my specialised tests for neuro-specific auto-antibodies he was the worst by far, he says. The air transport industry constantly overlooks vital components of OP poisoning: the combined effects of multiple compound exposure repeated low-dosage exposure is just as dangerous as a single large dose (often more so) and the genetic predisposition to toxicity of the individuals genes.

Abou-Donia's latter point is particularly important, as some of the fume events investigated saw one pilot react badly to the neurotoxins while the other was apparently unaffected, which led to confusion.

The potential risks of air contamination have been a sensitive area for some years. While airlines do not deny organophosphates from engine oil additives can be present in the engine bleed air that supplies the cabin, they and aircraft manufacturers maintain that this is at a harmless level.

Abou-Donia argues this was not so in Westgates case, despite the fact that the pilot had never logged an actual fume event during his career.

Frank Cannon, the lawyer acting for the families of both deceased, says the Westgate case is a watershed in this controversy. They can try explaining one [case] away, but not another and then another, he says. Cannon adds he has about 50 cases on his books.

BA says: It would be inappropriate to comment on the cause of death of an individual. The safety and security of our customers and crew are of paramount importance to British Airways and will never be compromised.

Our crew are encouraged to report any possible fume event so that our engineers can investigate it. We would not operate an aircraft if we believed it posed a health or safety risk to our customers or crew.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ba-crew-autopsies-show-organophosphate-poisoning-402138/

[inchman]

Given the short timeframe that this guy was exposed to bleed air, the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of crewmembers (and many passengers) around the world that have been exposed to bleed air for much longer and show no symptoms and that there are many other sources of OP poisoning, I am appalled that an "expert" would come to this conclusion. He was on the line with BA for 4 years, having had 39 years of opportunity to be exposed to other sources of OP.

There are far more common sources of OP's than bleed air ... common herbicides and pesticides either through handling or inhalation or ingestion from eating fruits and vegetables.

I'm betting that the bottom line here is that blaming it on the mother corp is the family's best opportunity to get some cash out an unfortunate situation.

edit:

.. oh yeah... there's a lawyer involved who has a big stake in a class action lawsuit against airlines, aircraft manufacturers and engine manufacturers. Should be able to retire off his 50% of that settlement....

[blues deville]

Missiles thorough the flight deck floor, possible OP issues?

No life like it.

[Johnny]

We have a 777 Captain returning to work, after being extremely ill from OP Poisoning. It appears certain individuals are prone to it, others not?

When we are all wandering the halls of the extended care facility, with a sign pinned to the back of our shirt reading; "If found, return to 8 West."

We'll know why.

[Guest]

EASA awards contract for cabin air contamination research

By: DAVID LEARMOUNT

LONDON

Source: Flightglobal.com

in 6 hours

EASA has commissioned a pair of German organisations – one a medical school and the other an applied research establishment – to research cabin air quality. The agency says the research will start with in-flight work to identify suitable instrumentation to measure cabin and cockpit air contamination.

Once the instrumentation and testing methodology has been established, EASA says it will carry out a larger-scale test programme on board commercially-operated large transport aeroplanes in the near future. Measurements will be taken in the cockpit and passenger cabin during all flight phases.

The EASA research contract has been awarded to a consortium made up of research establishment Fraunhofer and the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH). Both are based in Hannover.

EASA’s call for research bids states: “The quality of the air that passengers and air crews are exposed to on board commercial transport aeroplanes has been the basis of a continuing debate over the last 60 years, both from the health and safety points of view. Discussions about cabin or cockpit air quality need to differentiate between single cabin/cockpit air contamination [fume] events and the cabin air composition in normal operating conditions, for example the composition of the cabin air in the absence of any abnormal event and which can be compared, for instance, to the composition of the outside air or to the air at other workplaces.”

The project is expected take 20 months from taking measurements to analysis of the results. Results are expected in October 2016, says EASA, adding that the final details of the project – including the complete list of the aircraft types that will feature in the research – are still to be decided upon.

[John S.]

. . . It appears certain individuals are prone to it, others not? . . .

That is what I was thinking.

My son loves to tell me that we should enjoy life 'because something's going to kill you in the end anyway'. So after reading about OP (again) I'm very glad I chose to retire while I'm still healthy and happy.

[boestar]

Anyone could die tomorrow. There is no way to predict the human life span. You could be perfectly happy and healthy and get hit by a meteorite, or a bus. It could happen slow or it could happen fast. You just do not know. So it is a good philosophy to live each day like it is your last. it just might be.

Just lost someone not long ago who was happy and healthy and 49 years old. Passed away of a heart attack in his sleep.

You just don't know.

And remember the air down here is not much better than the air up there.

[John S.]

. . . . And remember the air down here is not much better than the air up there.

Well, the air over there (where you live) may not be much better than the air "up there"; but the air over here (where I live) is.

In fact I read just yesterday that one reason the Vancouver west side housing market is defying reality is that many off shore buyers are willing to pay a premium for the quality air we have here.

[Guest]

UK Air Safety Group (ASG) Statement on Airliner ‘Cabin Air Quality’

On the subject of Cabin Air Quality aboard passenger-carrying aircraft:

The Air Safety Group (ASG) believes there is disagreement within the aviation industry about the levels of risk that passengers and crews are facing from the quality of the pressurised (conditioned) air aboard many modern aircraft. This disagreement is hindering the promotion of safe flight and, if not resolved, may seriously damage the reputation of the aviation industry.

The ASG was disappointed by the rather unconvincing and disrespectful answers given to Her Majesty’s Coroner by BA and the CAA regarding the death of the BA pilot, Richard Westgate.

The ASG believes that:

1. There may be an unaccountably-high incidence of crew-members being affected by serious illnesses; this is deeply concerning. Furthermore, passengers are largely unaware that they may be being subjected to contaminated air and because the presentation of some symptoms is delayed, the symptoms may not be linked by the passengers (or their doctors) to recent in-flight events.
2. While not all fumes events are created by oil-contaminated air, there may exist a culture of under-reporting of fume events (“Why bother because nothing happens!”) and also a possible mis-categorization of the causes of the event in the subsequent engineering reporting process. e.g “Air Conditioning failure” could hide a multitude of sins.
3. There is a belief amongst some experts that cabin air may, on some occasions, contain organo-phosphate (OP) type compounds and toxins at harmful levels. Furthermore, there is a belief amongst the same experts that exposure to such contaminated air may result in harm, either as a result of;
   • Acute exposure in ‘fume events’ or
   • Chronic (long-term) exposure to frequent-fliers (and, importantly, crews).
4. Medium to longer-term symptoms (many of which are akin to organo-phosphate (OP) poisoning) may include neurological degradation, sensory perception and cognitive impairment and possibly cancers and heart-problems; which has obvious safety concerns for operating crews and their passengers.
5. As awareness amongst crew increases, there is a growing concern of a causative link between aero-engine oil in cabin air and unexplained symptoms in crew and passengers.
6. Scientific evidence is available that there exists a serious potential problem in using ‘bleed air’ to condition the airliner cabins, as evidenced by the recent HM Coroner’s Inquest into the death of Richard Westgate, an airline pilot. Questions need to be answered - both the airline and the regulator have actions against them from HM Coroner.
7. It appears that governments and regulators require those people seeking safer cabin air-quality to ‘prove with scientific evidence’ the dangers of breathing oily/smoky air in an enclosed space. Recent histo-pathological studies and outcomes of Inquests are providing and adding to the evidence of such dangers. But in truth, the onus to prove the ‘safety’ of aero-engine additives rests the manufacturers and operators and always should have done.
8. The often-quoted ‘Cranfield Study’ of 2011 is thought to be scientifically compromised because of less-than-ideal measurement techniques and the fact that the mere 100-flight study did not capture any significant ‘fume events’ - by Cranfield’s own admission. Despite this, the study did discover evidence of highly-toxic compounds, including organo-phosphates (OPs), being present on the majority of flights in aircraft that use engine or auxiliary power units to provide conditioned air. OPs are related to ‘Nerve Gases’ and fungicidal sheep-dips; the latter have been proven to be dangerously harmful to farmers. OPs are added to many aero-engine oils but they may not be the only toxic substance in these oils.
9. Even if below occupationally “safe” levels, the presence of OPs (of a number of various varieties/isomers), along with other toxic by-products of aero-engine combustion, may be highly significant because any ‘occupational’ levels are likely to be inappropriate when applied to passengers, (including babies, pregnant women and those medically-compromised) who have to breathe this air, in a confined space, for long periods of time. Despite Cranfield’s recommendation to do so, no further government-funded studies have been carried out that have defined what actually constitutes a ‘safe’ dose of possible cabin air contaminants for passengers.
10. Nonetheless, taking into account the increasing depth and breadth of evidence indicating links between what is now being more-widely recognised as ‘aerotoxic syndrome’ and poor cabin-air quality, the ASG believes that a more-cautious approach should be taken by our industry. Failure to do so may lead to an irreparable loss of trust in our industry’s leaders, the manufacturers, the airlines and the regulators alike.

The ASG urges the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), all other NAAs and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to act immediately in the best long-term interests of the industry, passengers and crew by taking the following measures:

• Require operators to install, on all passenger aircraft, measures to provide crews with timely warnings of oil-contaminated air in the cabin and cockpit.
• Require all operators to fit appropriate air-filtration devices that will ensure the safety and long-term health of all air-travellers by reducing any toxic contaminants of cabin air (from all sources) to levels significantly below the ‘occupational’ limits, if not to zero.
• Commission a wholly-independent and fully-funded scientific study and monitoring programme in order to determine precisely the constituents of real-time ‘fume events’ and the true proportions of the contaminants.
• Commission another wholly-independent study to define what is the ‘safe dose’ (acute and chronic) of OPs and other toxins for aircraft passengers. This dose should take into account the passengers’ age, illness, frailty and individual/genetic sensitivity to OPs and other aero-oil contaminants and products of thermal degradation/combustion.
• Sponsor the development and insist upon the introduction of an additive to aero-engine oil that is either benign, or far less toxic than OPs.
• Encourage more-open reporting of all fume events and unambiguous analysis/statement of the root and contributory causes, which includes the likelihood of oil contamination of the cabin air.
• Consider any further interim measures which may be used to reduce the risk of exposure to contaminated cabin air until such time as the scientific studies are complete.
• The authorities should ensure that passengers get the same (or better) medical advice as that which is given to crews. The passengers should be informed of the possibility of illness after acknowledged ‘fume events’, what possible symptoms they may experience and to visit their doctors or their local hospital immediately should the symptoms not clear within a given time.
• Medical advice should be given to all general practitioners, nurses, pharmacists and hospitals - including which tests and samples are to be taken (e.g. blood, urine and fat tissue) and to which specialist clinics they should be sent for testing. Specifically, they should be advised on any time limits on conducting urine or tissue tests.
• The medical authorities, unions and research bodies conduct a wholly-independent, epidemiological and histo-pathological study of the cause of death and illness rates amongst present and retired flight-crew and where possible, passengers involved in fume events. The study should be on-going and all Coroners’ and pathologists should be made more aware of the possibility of toxicological poisoning, neural degeneration, heart problems and cancer following on from breathing contaminated cabin air. Accordingly, Coroners and those doctors certifying the cause of death should request post-mortems wherever possible.

In the meantime, the ASG considers that it is the duty of care and a reasonable course of action for all operators and manufacturers of passenger-aircraft to complete full health and safety risk assessments in light of recent medical evidence and recorded crew illnesses. It is also reasonable to expect them to introduce a crew-health monitoring scheme and provide specialist advisors on cabin air quality and related issues.

Air Safety Group

London

April 2015 http://airsafetygroup.org/?q=statairqual

[flyinghigh]

Looks like the 787 with its bleedless engines has a new reason to fly it. For both pax and crew.