Is the Air You Breathe on an Airline Flight Harmful?

Jerry H. Trachtman

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 405

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Ever since the advent of the jet engine, "bleed air" has been used to supply the air that pressurizes and ventilates an airliner's cabin. Essentially, bleed air is air that is syphoned from the engine (or auxiliary power unit) after it has been compressed and before it is mixed with fuel and ignited. So, what could possibly be wrong with breathing it inside the aircraft cabin? According to a recent study published in the Journal of ASTM International, plenty might be wrong.

The airlines, the FAA, and even the airline labor unions have all agreed that the bleed air introduced into aircraft cabins can sometimes be contaminated with pyrolized engine oil and hydraulic fluid. However, the "sometimes" has never been defined. Researchers collected available documentation of 470 contaminated air supply events reported from January 2006 to June 2007, which includes 350 events reported by airlines to the FAA. Typically, the reported events describe smoke, and/or fumes, and/or a strong odor. The only sensors aboard the aircraft which may detect potentially dangerous air are the eyes and noses of the passengers and crew. There is no monitoring equipment. In the ASTM study, 57% of the events reported in flight resulted in diversions, and most of the ground events resulted in delayed or canceled flights. A lawsuit recently filed in Washington state alleges that a flight attendant suffered severe physical and neurological injuries after breathing toxic fumes that entered the cabin through the bleed air system. I am not aware of any other litigation alleging injury to passengers or crew as a result of engine bleed air, but perhaps those who have become ill have not made the connection to the possible source of their illness.