Cabin Air Question Continues—Windscreen Checks Required

The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive that will require operators of Boeing 757, 767 and 777 aircraft to either inspect or replace some windows in their aircraft’s cockpits. The directive is intended to prevent smoke, fire or cracking of the windows caused by faulty electrical connections.

Eleven fires have been reported during the past 20 years, the most recent being in May this year.

Recently, a former Qantas pilot claimed to have suffered symptoms that included difficulty concentrating, gastric illnesses, regular bouts of bronchitis and one episode of partial paralysis, all of which, he claims, were attributable to toxic gases in the cabin airflow.

According to a report in the Sunday Telegraph in the UK, an official government report on aircraft cabin air quality is three months overdue and the delay is fuelling speculation that information is being suppressed.

There has been much debate about the air quality in aircraft cabin jets in recent years. This has prompted numerous studies and even resulted in the formation of a support group called the Aerotoxic Association. In the US, a pending FAA “reauthorisation bill” includes an amendment to the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act that would require the FAA to complete a study of the air quality in airline cabins within one year.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, who introduced the amendment, said, “The haze or smoke that enters the cabin air is a toxic soup and can contain carbon monoxide gas as well as chemicals that can damage your nervous system called tricresylphosphates (TCPs).” According to Senator Feinstein, exposure to TCPs can cause stomach-ache and muscle weakness, followed by delayed memory loss, tremors, confusion and many other symptoms. The reauthorisation bill remains stalled in Congress.