Aircraft cabin air contamination and aerotoxic syndrome—a review of the evidence

Abstract

There is growing concern that there are no plans by the aviation industry and its safety regulators to take action to end the bleed-air system, whereby the interior breathing air within airliners enters the aircraft through the jet engines. As a result fumes from engine lubricating oil, hydraulic fluid, de-icing fluids etc. routinely enter the cabin air. Aircrew and some frequently flying passengers are presenting with the symptoms associated with toxic exposure. It would be thought wise for the industry and its regulators to make timely plans for the permanent eradication of what many agree is a design fault that has lasted for too long. This is especially true now that an alternative, bleed-free, ventilation and pressurization system has been operating successfully for some time in the form of the Boeing 787. This paper reviews the evidence the industry and its regulators appear to be ignoring.