Health
How toxic is the air in the plane?
As a reason for many incidents in the aviation sector for years, toxic fumes in aircraft cabins is suspected, without scientific proof. Göttingen-based researchers have now investigated whether cabin air sick.
Almost three years have tested the medical professionals to Astrid Heutelbeck samples of people who, after flying over complaints complained. They examined more than 140 patients, most of them crew – and analyzed immediately after flights, blood or urine samples, in part with the new procedures.
The most important result: Besides the already known Organophosphaten, the negative effect on the enzymes work in the body, they found regularly in so-called volatile organic Compounds, called VOCs, or their degradation products. These substances attack the nerves and cardiovascular System, and can irritate in addition to the respiratory system. You could be in the turbines in strong heat from kerosene, Oils, or de have been released, and about leaks in the engine into the bleed air get, suspect the physicians.
In almost all passenger aircraft, the cabin air from the engines tapped. Find technicians to Laugh again from the Oil, or de.
The connection one step closer
So-called “Fume Events“ are already in use since the 1950s are described. For the period from 2006 to 2013, the German Federal Agency for Flugunfalluntersuchungen BFU German airlines not less than 663 cases registered. Caused quite a stir around the end of 2010, an incident in a Germanwings Airbus during landing on Cologne. Pilot and Copilot sat during the landing oxygen masks after a strong smell of something burning had seen them and the evil had become. The aircraft landed back safely.
Despite the many incidents of missing so far, the scientific evidence that cabin air diseases can cause. It is probably the easiest way for the staff affected, the risk for passengers seems to be much lower.
The göttingen medical doctors are the connection according to own data now closer. The results of their research do you want in the coming weeks at conferences and in journal articles to present. The clinical picture of the so far controversial aerotoxischen syndrome should be as more precisely outlined.
mb/nm (dpa)