Translation of the article "Unsichtbares Gift betäubt Piloten" from the German Newspaper sueddeutsche.de

Jörg Handwerg, airline captain and spokesman for the pilot union Cockpit (© Foto: oh)

Interview by: Katja Schnitzler


Crew and passengers sometimes complain about tremors, headaches and paralysis. One pilot says toxins in the cabin air could be to blame.

In airliners the air for the cockpit and cabin doesn’t come from the “fresh air” outside the aircraft as the layman might assume, but is bled from the compressed air in the engines. But the so-called bleed air can also contain toxic chemicals from hot oil, due to inadequate maintenance or from leakage of the seals in the engines. So far the problem has been ignored by the manufacturers. Those affected complain of headaches, muscle tremors and signs of paralysis: “Aerotoxic Syndrome”. Some have even been unable to continue working.

As a result the trade union Verdi, the pilot union Cockpit and the Independent Flight Attendants’ Organisation UFO are demanding not only a comprehensive study of cabin contamination, but also preventative measures such as filters and warning devices. While the new 787 Dreamliner no longer takes air from the engines, other airliners continue to use bleed air.

sueddeutsche.de spoke with Jörg Handwerg about toxins in aircraft. He is from the union Cockpit and is a pilot himself.


sueddeutsche.de: Mr Handwerg, can oil smells be a danger for flight safety?

Jörg Handwerg: There have been incidents where colleagues were incapacitated by invisible fumes. They were no longer able to concentrate or control their muscles. They were paralysed.

sueddeutsche.de: How could the pilots continue flying despite being paralysed?

Handwerg: As the pilots noticed that they were feeling “funny” they put on their oxygen masks and their condition began to improve. The masks in the cockpit supply one hundred percent oxygen as opposed to the passenger masks which give a mixture of oxygen and cabin air. Fortunately so far everything has gone well and there has not been a crash. But we’ve already seen some precarious situations.

sueddeutsche.de: Was the nerve agent tricresyl phosphate (TCP) contained in the oil to blame?

Handwerg: If the air is contaminated with residues of heated oil, we’re not just talking about the known toxin, TCP. You get an assortment of substances in the air, and nobody knows the effects of this cocktail. There have been no comprehensive studies. While there are no filters installed, we should at least have warning devices in the cockpit. The investigation is overdue, we know there are regular incidents and we know that TCP is highly toxic.

sueddeutsche.de: Are there actually air filters in the aircraft already?

Handwerg: They only remove viruses and bacteria, not the inorganic toxins. And they only filter the recirculating air, and not the air that comes in from the engines.

sueddeutsche.de: Have special filters for toxins already been developed?

Handwerg: Yes, and they have no doubt already been tested. It’s just that to date no aircraft manufacturers have wanted them. It would not just be a single purchase of an activated carbon filter, but would require regular renewal. And that costs money.

What should passengers do?

sueddeutsche.de: Can you tell that something is wrong just by the smell?

Handwerg: If it smells unpleasant on board, there can be a thousand reasons - the human nose doesn’t give sufficient indication of the toxins.    

sueddeutsche.de: The problem is well known to manufacturers and airlines. Why is nothing done about it?

Handwerg: Both are trying to keep the issue under the carpet, and as long as there is no irrefutable evidence that permanent nervous system damage including Parkinson’s symptoms is caused by contaminated cabin air, they see no need to do anything. But for us this attitude is not acceptable – we’re talking about the health of crew and passengers. In our view you have to actively exclude risk, and not simply wait for enough damage to occur in order that you have sufficient evidence of a link between the bleed air and the poisoning. However, the problem is played down, concealed and denied.

sueddeutsche.de: Are victims not suing those responsible?

Handwerg: In Australia a flight attendant won her case and has received compensation. It was proved, so it shows our assertions have not come out of thin air. In the USA there is also a number of poisoning cases coming to court – from passengers as well.

sueddeutsche.de: The manufacturers really should move towards the installation of filters. Ultimately it’s going to be expensive if a claimant wins.

Handwerg: The industry now fears a wave of lawsuits. If it now acknowledges the problem and says “Yes, the cabin air can be toxic”, they would have liability. So denial is apparently still the cheaper way at the moment.

sueddeutsche.de: Were you also affected?

Handwerg: It already happened on one flight. My nose suddenly began to run really heavily and there was a smell of “old socks”, and I didn’t know why at the time. But up till now pilots have had little knowledge of the problem, and only in the last year is awareness starting to increase – although during the changeover to bleed air in the sixties it was pointed out was that there could be problems with toxic fumes. But with the omission of a separate air supply system, the aircraft were easier and cheaper to build - and concerns were ignored.

sueddeutsche.de: What do you advise passengers if they experience an oil smell? Should they reach for the oxygen mask?

Handwerg: That won’t help as the mask supplies a mixture of mainly cabin air. But you should report the suspicious smell to the cockpit. If you have acute symptoms you should consult a doctor and tell him you suspect you have been exposed to toxic fumes. Residues of the toxins can still be detected with urine and blood tests a short time after the exposure. A rapid test is currently being developed.

sueddeutsche.de: What else is important if you want to bring legal action against the airline?

Handwerg: You should record the exact time the fumes were detected, the flight number and the phase of flight. You should also get the information confirmed by the flight attendants, noting the names of the crew and of some passengers to nominate as witnesses.