Aerotoxic Syndrome Several Chemicals Aviation

Question: Describe about the Aerotoxic Syndrome for Several Chemicals Aviation. Answer: There are several chemicals used in aviation such as lubricants, greases, coolants, corrosion preventatives, fuels, specialty chemicals and various others. These materials contain ingredients which are irritating and neurotoxic. These chemicals are also used by airplane manufacturers and the understated risks are misleading. The aviation industry reports that the air quality decreases due to oil leaking into the air supply. The regulatory agencies also indicate the loss of crews ability for checking flight deck instrumentation and other duties (Harrison and Ross 2016). As the flight crew are regularly exposed to such chemicals and fumes, they are more likely to get affected by the ill effects of aerotoxic syndrome. There is occupational hazard as the work involved in the aircrafts may lead to risk of safety and health. The ability of pilots and flying officers are affected as they are responsible to fly the planes safely. Both airline staffs and passengers are susceptible to health risks due to leak incidents (de Boer et al. 2015). The symptoms of aerotoxic syndrome include fatigue, dizziness, loss of consciousness, nausea and much more as shown in Table 1. A discrete occupational health condition may develop because of jet-fuel, engine oil and de-icing fluids. The victims may experience tightness in chest, feel intoxicated, vomit, cough or diarrhoea. Several general medical practitioners are unaware of the Aerotoxic syndrome (Hocking 2005). The risks are identified as under: Symptoms Immediate Post-flight Short-Term Medium-term Long- term Disorientation o Problems with coordination o Seizures, gray outs, unconsciousness o Headache, dizziness Numbness, hot flashes o o Nausea, vomiting Joint pain, muscle weakness o o Chronic fatigue o Shaking/tremors o o o Respiratory Issues o Immunodepression o o Loss of Hair o o Blurred vision, tunnel vision o o Acquired Multiple Chemical Sensitivity o Table 1: Symptoms and intensity of aerotoxic syndrome Source: Created by Author Key Intensity Severe Intensity o Mild Intensity Table 2: Intensity Level Source: Created by Author Aerotoxic syndrome needs to be addressed immediately as anyone can be affected. The toxins attack the nervous system and it is not easy to predict the manner in which the people are affected. The adverse health effects may be cumulatively and any individual flying frequently, say once or more in a week is repetitively exposed to its risk (Megson et al. 2016). There are several solutions that may be adopted by the aircrafts are improving the quality of cabin air. The cabin air may be supplied with electrically-driven compressors which takes air directly from the atmosphere instead of bleed air. Bleed air is produced by the gas turbine engines and very important part of aircraft conditioning. For instance, Boeing 787 Dreamliner does not supply breathing air through the compressed fumes. It derives air from the natural atmosphere that is non-toxic in nature. Currently, the bleed air is not filtered and the filtration systems shall help in eliminating the aerotoxic syndrome issues. However, such a system has not been developed. As aerotoxic syndrome is caused due to exposure to leaks such as engine oil or other fluids such as de-icing fluids, hydraulic fluids and others, another possible solution could be to form a less toxic oil formulation. The oils and fluids need significant improvement so that the exposure of such oils may not cause dama ge to the people travelling in flights. There is also a need to install chemical sensors for detecting contaminated or toxic air in the bled air supplies. The pilots must be alerted through the sensors for this problem so that they can take preventive measures (Burdon 2015). The panel needs to make provision in the working environment of aircrafts so that safety can be ensured from the health point of view of aircrew and the passengers. The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines requires compulsory reporting of the passengers and crew compartment to assess the presence of toxic fumes. When such defects are reported, the aircraft operator must take necessary actions and reduce the vulnerability of the chemicals. There is a requirement for management support, efficient reporting systems and urgency to address the aerotoxic syndrome issue. There is a need for a safe working environment for the aircrew and travel environment for the flight passengers. Any failure to make full disclosure about the toxicity present in the aircrafts must be penalized (Masson et al. 2013). References Burdon, J., 2015. Health risk assessment to TriCresyl Phosphates (TCPs) in aircraft: A commentary.NeuroToxicology, 48, p.60. de Boer, J., Antelo, A., van der Veen, I., Brandsma, S. and Lammertse, N., 2015. Tricresyl phosphate and the aerotoxic syndrome of flight crew members Current gaps in knowledge.Chemosphere, 119, pp.S58-S61. Harrison, V. and Mackenzie Ross, S., 2016. An emerging concern: Toxic fumes in airplane cabins.Cortex, 74, pp.297-302. Hocking, M., 2005.Air quality in airplane cabins and similar enclosed spaces. Berlin: Springer. Masson, P., Lushchekina, S., Schopfer, L.M. and Lockridge, O., 2013. Effects of viscosity and osmotic stress on the reaction of human butyrylcholinesterase with cresyl saligenin phosphate, a toxicant related to aerotoxic syndrome: kinetic and molecular dynamics studies.Biochemical Journal,454(3), pp.387-399. Megson, D., Ortiz, X., Jobst, K., Reiner, E., Mulder, M. and Balouet, J., 2016. A comparison of fresh and used aircraft oil for the identification of toxic substances linked to aerotoxic syndrome.Chemosphere, 158, pp.116-123.