Something in the air?
Pilots and cabin crew say toxic air from in-flight βfume eventsβ is harming them, but airlines say there is no proven link. We investigate the science and solutions.
How safe is the air inside airline cabins? In January 2020, a British Airways flight from Athens to London issued a mayday emergency call when the pilot flying the plane became incapacitated during a "fume event". The airline industry does not reveal how often fume events happen, but according to some estimates they occur every day. Pilots and cabin crew say that sudden fume events and long term low level exposure to toxic cabin air are making them seriously ill and in some cases causing premature deaths. The industry insists that serious leaks of toxic gas into cockpits and cabins are relatively very rare, given the number of flights each day. And that no causal link between toxic cabin air and health problems has yet been proven. But airlines face multiple court cases later this year.
Mike Powell talks to a representative of the airline industry about fume events, lack of transparency and claims that the health of hundreds of pilots, cabin crew and frequent fliers is being put at risk.
Presenter: Mike Powell
Producer: Paul Waters
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- Thu 5 Mar 2020 13:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet
- Thu 5 Mar 2020 18:06GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Australasia
- Thu 5 Mar 2020 21:06GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
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- Fri 6 Mar 2020 02:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except West and Central Africa
- Fri 6 Mar 2020 03:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service West and Central Africa
- Sat 7 Mar 2020 16:06GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service News Internet
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