Exposure to toxic fumes can cause serious health problems in any workplace. However, for pilots and flight attendants, the risk can be even greater. Airplane cabins are confined environments where contaminated air can circulate during a flight, exposing crew members for extended periods of time. Unlike passengers, flight crews may experience this exposure repeatedly over the course of their jobs. When that repeated exposure leads to symptoms, medical treatment, or ongoing health issues, it can then result in a workers’ compensation claim.
What Causes Toxic Fumes in Airplanes?
Toxic fumes in airplanes typically come from contaminated air entering the cabin through the aircraft’s ventilation system. Most commercial planes use engine air, known as bleed air, to keep a steady supply of breathable air within the cabin. If engine oil or hydraulic fluid leaks into that system, the air that flight crews and passengers breathe can become contaminated.
Incidents in which toxic chemicals get into an airplane’s air supply are known as fume events, and they can be caused by:
- Worn or failing engine seals
- Oil or hydraulic fluid exposed to high temperatures
- Mechanical issues within the air supply system
- De-icing fluid gets into the engine or auxiliary power intake system
How Frequent Are Fume Events on Aircraft?
In the past, fume events were considered relatively rare occurrences that the FAA logged. More recently, however, they’ve been occurring more and more frequently. The Wall Street Journal conducted an investigation into fume events in 2024 and found that they occurred as often as 800 for every million flights, which worked out to a minimum of at least three fume events every day.
Much of the time, these fume events aren’t enough to affect passengers. It’s long-term exposure to the toxic fumes that starts to become dangerous, meaning that it’s the flight crew – the pilots and the flight attendants – who are at risk of developing health issues because of toxic fumes leaking into airplanes.
There are, however, some types of fume events that can cause symptoms quickly. If engine oil or hydraulic fluid has entered the air supply, that can cause immediate symptoms for everyone on board, typically forcing an emergency landing.
Why Are Toxic Fumes on Airplanes Becoming More Common?
When compared to pre-2017, the rate of fume events was relatively low. The increase in the rates at which toxic fumes are leaking into airplanes has been attributed to the adoption of the Airbus A320s in 2017. This is the best-selling aircraft in the world. This model of aircraft, according to the WSJ’s investigation comparing different types of aircraft at United, Delta, and American Airlines, produced seven times the number of fume events of Boeing’s 787 aircraft, which don’t use bleed air in the cabin air supply.
According to the same WSJ investigation, airlines that used only the Airbus A320, like Spirit and JetBlue, saw a 660% increase in fume events combined between 2016 and 2024.
How Can You Tell if There Are Toxic Fumes on an Aircraft?
Sometimes, a fume event will cause a particular smell within the aircraft cabin. Common descriptions have included musty, moldy, or like dirty socks for oil fumes, and acrid or chemical for hydraulic fumes. Others have described a “wet dog,” “Cheetos,” or nail polish-like odor. The bad smell may also be accompanied by haze or smoke in the cabin, but not always. Flight attendants are trained to look for signs of a fume event and have protocols to follow if one occurs.
What Are the Symptoms of Toxic Fumes in Airplanes?
There are two types of fume events, and they affect people in different ways. The first is the type that can cause immediate symptoms because the fumes in question include carbon monoxide, among other chemicals. The symptoms of this kind of fume event can include:
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- Sudden confusion
- Loss of coordination
- Headache
- Tremors
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Nose and/or lung irritation
- Eye irritation
- Nausea
These types of symptoms could leave pilots and crew unable to properly operate the aircraft and could necessitate an emergency landing because they can affect everyone on board.
What Health Problems Can Occur From Long-Term Exposure to Toxic Fumes on Airplanes?
Not all fume events are immediately noticeable. These don’t typically affect passengers, because they require long-term exposure to the toxic fumes. However, these fume events do affect flight crew, including both pilots and flight attendants, over time, resulting in what is known as aerotoxic syndrome.
What Is Aerotoxic Syndrome?
While it’s not a medical diagnosis, aerotoxic syndrome is often used to describe the long-term health impacts that flight crew can experience after prolonged exposure to toxic fumes and can be used to refer to:
- Neurological damage
- Respiratory issues
- Psychological effects
- Muscular problems
- Fatigue
- Organ damage
Can You File a Lawsuit for Toxic Fumes on Airplanes?
Typically, injuries or illnesses sustained as a result of a workplace event would be considered a workers’ compensation claim. In most cases, it’s not possible to file a lawsuit because the workers’ compensation process usually prevents employees from suing their employers. There are exceptions, however, which include gross negligence.
Several toxic fumes on airplanes lawsuits have been filed, first by the family of a pilot who died of ALS that the family believed was linked to fume events, and then also by a flight attendant who sued Airbus SE after experiencing negative health effects she claimed were from exposure to toxic air in an airplane cabin.
How To File a Workers’ Compensation Claim if You’ve Been Exposed to Toxic Fumes in an Airplane
If you work as a flight attendant or pilot and have been exposed to toxic fumes leaking into the aircraft during the course of your job, you may qualify to file a workers’ compensation claim. Exposure alone isn’t enough for a claim, however. If you have experienced ill health effects as a result of that exposure, even if it was only once, and required medical attention or were out of work, you can file a workers’ compensation claim.
The process can be complicated, and it’s common for claims to be rejected the first time. You don’t have to go through it alone, however. Our workers’ compensation attorneys are here to help you every step of the way. Contact us now for a free consultation regarding your case.
