Death of a pilot How dangerous is airplane air

Toxic substances in the cabin air could be the cause of death of a British pilot

07/31/2014

Many people on air travel have a queasy feeling in the stomach, for fear of a misfortune, which they can not influence as a passenger on the plane. That this fear is not completely unfounded, is shown again and again by events such as the disappearance of a passenger plane of Malaysia Airlines on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. But in addition to crashes, kidnappings and terrorist attacks, there seems to be another cause for concern: Apparently toxic substances in the cabin air could have led to the death of a British pilot.

Pilot Richard Westgate dies at the age of 43 years
Whether Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, TransAsia Airways Flight 222 or Air Algerie Flight 5017: Alone in July of this year, reports of strange crashes and sudden disappearances of aircraft, sometimes with hundreds of fatalities. No wonder that many travelers creeping up on a plane feel queasy. However, according to a report of the „world“ Obviously besides accidents and disasters, there is another cause for concern: toxins in the cabin air. As the newspaper reports, the always healthy British pilot Richard Westgate had died at the age of 43 years due to a previously unclear cause - after he had reported in advance of cognitive deficits and balance disorders.

The man was suffering „aerotoxic syndrome“?
Due to the background of Westgate's death, a suspicion arose quickly: was the man who had worked as a pilot for 16 years on the so-called „aerotoxic syndrome“ Ill? This term is used to summarize health complaints caused by the inhalation of contaminated cabin air in airplanes, which are primarily associated with problems in the bleed air system as a possible cause of contamination, causing the air from the engines to reach the interior unfiltered. A danger that should not be underestimated, because if there is a leak in the engine, oil, de-icing or other toxic substances can in principle pollute the air at any time. But as Jörg Handwerg, spokesman for the pilot association Vereinigung Cockpit, the magazine „FOCUS“ clear that apparently undamaged systems would not be 100% secure: „Engine manufacturers have told us that it is impossible to completely prevent the escape of oil vapor from the engines.“

Sudden onset of dizziness and numbness
Like the ARD magazine „monitor“ (Broadcast no. 661 of 22/05/2014), the late pilot Richard Westgate had the suspicion that oil fumes had made him sick on board. The man, who was always in perfect health and multiple world champion in paragliding, suffered since 2011 suddenly dizziness, numbness and other symptoms that limited him so much that he no longer passed the flight test. „In front of me stood a man who was in great pain. His coordination ability was low and his mental functions were very limited“, reported the physician Michel Mulder in „monitor“. On December 12, 2012, the pilot finally died in a hotel - initially without apparent cause.

Aerotoxic syndrome can not be ruled out as the cause of death
But now the mystery of the death of the pilot seems to be revealed, because like the „world“ reported further, the months-long pathological investigations would apparently have led to a clear result. According to the Dutch forensic physician Frank van de Goot said he had examined parts of the brain, spinal cord and the larger nerves of the victim and could conclude due to the recognizable nerve damage: The aerotoxic syndrome is not mutually exclusive as the cause of death of Richard Westgate. This was the newspaper for the first time a connection between a serious illness and the inhalation of contaminated cabin air has been produced - because so far, the aerotoxic syndrome is considered a relatively unexplored disease, although it has been known since the late 1950s.

Between 2006 and 2013 663 reports of so-called „Fume events“
In fact, abnormalities with regard to the cabin air actually do not seem to be a rare phenomenon. As reported by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU), in the period from 2006 to 2013 alone 663 reports of so-called „Fume events“ which means events of any kind with regard to odors, smoke or fog inside the aircraft and / or health problems of aircraft occupants. „In these reported „Fume events“ In 460 cases odor was reported and in 188 cases smoke was reported“, so the BFU. Accordingly, it was through the „Fume events“ Although there are no relevant restrictions on flight safety, they are nevertheless „individual pilots impaired in their performance“ according to the Federal Agency „clear signs of health effects“ given.

Pollutant TCP may be the most dangerous poison in the cabin air
According to the magazine „FOCUS“ It could accept the pollutant TCP (tricresyl phosphate) as the most dangerous toxin in the cabin air, which US researchers had first detected in 2011 in small quantities in the blood of passengers. The neurotoxin, which can lead to paralysis in high doses, is used as a flame retardant and softener for PVC, but also as an additive for lubricants and other oils - and thus can easily get from the engines into the interior. However, if there are small amounts, this is not a health problem, said the occupational physician Jürgen Bünger of the Ruhr University Bochum in the magazine: „He is out of the question as the cause of the disease symptoms.“