AEROTOXIC SYNDROME John Hoyte was born in 1955. He was a professional pilot for nearly 30 years, working in aerial crop spraying and fire fighting, as a public transport pilot of both freight and passen- gers, and a flying instructor. However in 1990, while flying the BAe 146 airliner he succumbed to mysterious ill health, which led him to take premature retirement on medical grounds in 2005. In 2006 he became aware of aerotoxic syndrome, and this led him on a voyage of discovery, working with scientists, doctors and other aircrew to have the illness formally recog- nized and known solutions implemented. He founded the Aerotoxic Association in 2007. He lives in Norwich, and has two wonderful children. Aerotoxic Syndrome Aviation’s Darkest Secret John Hoyte First published 2014 by Pilot Press 27 Old Gloucester Street London WC1N 3AX United Kingdom Copyright © John Hoyte The right of John Hoyte to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN-13: Paperback 978-0-9929508-0-4 Ebook 978-0-9929508-1-1 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Designed and typeset by Curran Publishing Services, Norwich, UK Printed by ‘To this day, the only thing filtering this toxic soup out of the cabin are the lungs of the passengers and crew.’ This quote, from US aviation attorney Alisa Brodkowitz in 2010, following a legal challenge to Boeing, should give an idea of the content of this book: it concerns an inconvenient health risk known for over 60 years which can affect anyone who sets foot on board a jet aircraft. The purpose of this book is to raise awareness of a hidden problem in aviation. As it involves the air that all of us breathe, it is applicable to aircrew and passengers alike. The author experienced extreme ill health whilst he flew the BAe 146 airliner, but was he alone? How does the air become poisoned? Why are doctors not told about this? Why have known solutions not as yet been introduced? These and many other questions are answered in the account that follows. Dedicated to the founders of aerotoxic syndrome Professor Chris Winder (1952–2014) Dr Harry Hoffman (1942–2004) and Dr Jean-Christophe Balouet and to all those individuals around the world who have suffered from exposure to contaminated air on commercial aircraft v Contents Preface and acknowledgements ix Foreword by David Learmount, operations and safety editor, Flight International xv 1 A pilot walks 1 2 Flying makes people ill 4 3 Depression, fatigue – and cancer 15 4 A syndrome 18 5 The aircraft air 21 6 Organophosphate poisoning: a long history 27 7 Not waving but wading 31 8 The tombstone imperative 36 9 The size of the problem 37 10 Symptoms and syndromes 38 11 All in the mind? 41 12 The airline response 52 13 Red alert 55 14 Incidents across the world 58 15 Captain’s discretion 63 16 Passing the medicals 70 17 To report or not to report 75 18 Problem? What problem? 78 19 The end of a career 81 20 Evidence? What evidence? 85 21 Real causes, real research 91 22 Real media attention 95 23 Victims in high places? 97 24 The Aerotoxic Association 98 25 Is there a cure? 100 26 How common is it? 101 27 A cover-up 105 28 The experiences of relatives: a widow and a divorcee tell their tales 108 29 Balance? 113 30 The deniers 115 31 The deniers denied 122 vii Contents 32 Case study: Julian Soddy 123 33 The Cranfield study 125 34 A safe limit? 138 35 Scripts and framing 140 36 Holidays to Hell 147 37 What happens in court? 151 38 Sample sizes and research agreements 159 39 A lack of conclusive evidence? 169 40 An expert on chemical poisoning comments 172 41 Jet-lagged, travel fatigued or poisoned? 174 42 What the airlines know 176 43 Pressure on politicians 181 44 A good look at a dissenter 183 45 The attitude of doctors 205 46 Do we need more research? 208 47 Hot off the press: a crucial report 210 48 Airbus on bleed air, 2014 213 49 How to stop the problem in the future 214 50 A safety demonstration with a difference 218 51 What sufferers should do 221 Epilogue 225 Notes and sources 231 Index 243 viii Preface and acknowledgements I am indebted to journalist and author Philip Whiteley for his help with research for this book. As a member of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), Philip warned me that his findings were serious. They led to the publication of a dossier in February 2014; he felt he had a duty to report on the ‘Employer’s duty of care in airlines – suspected breaches’. I originally planned to write this book for my family, as a chronological testimony of my flying career and my personal discovery of aerotoxic syndrome in 2006, but I soon realized that aerotoxic syndrome is of interest to a much wider audience, and that a book about it called for less detail about my personal life and early flying career. I invited publisher and author Susan Curran to help me combine the account of my experiences with information on the overall issue of aerotoxicity, and she has played an invaluable role in presenting the finished book. John Williams, of the Edgbaston book club, is an avid reader and friend who spurred me into action. Captain Peter Lawton, who taught me to fly, and shared many of my experiences as a fellow crop-spraying and airline pilot, has ensured the accuracy of flying detail. Jonathan Perkins has done excellent work as my personal assistant, generally keeping the book on course and taking responsibility for its production. I could never have achieved it without his cheerful assistance. I am indebted to David Learmount, safety editor of Flight International, for his Foreword to this book and support over the years while daring to report inconvenient news in his distinguished industry journal. I am keen to recognize the testimonies from other aircrew, many of whom prefer to remain anonymous because they are still employed in the industry or taking legal action. I have always known that solving a problem such as aerotoxic syndrome could not be done alone, and I am indebted ix Preface and acknowledgements to the following individuals who I have got to know over the years and who have done more than their bit to bring about known solutions: Dr Sarah Mackenzie Ross, UCL; Professor Clem Furlong, University of Washington, USA; Professor Abou-Donia, Duke University, North Carolina, USA; Dr Sarah Myhill; Dr Jean-Christophe Balouet; the late Professor Chris Winder; Professor Chris Van Netten; Rev. John Woodley; Dr Jonathan Burdon; Dr Michel Mulder; Margaret, Countess of Mar; Lord Paul Tyler; Judith Anderson (formerly Murawski), AFA-CWA, AFL-CIO; John Lind; Professor Jeremy Ramsden; Frank Taylor, Air Safety Group; Frank Cannon, Cannons Law Practice; Frank Brehany, Holiday Travel Watch; Ian Panton; Nick Cook, ROSPA; the late Richard Westgate and the Westgate family; Captain Julian Soddy; Captain Phillip ‘Tango’; Bob Millichap; Len Lawrence; Deanne Wientge; Dee Passon; Captain Tony Watson (who spent three years updating the Aerotoxic Association website); Andrew Gibbs; Bee Beaumont; Ted Jeory and the Sunday Express; the late Paul Foot and Private Eye; Tim van Beveren, aviation journalist; Becky Dutton; Brenda Sutcliffe; Theresa Layton; Stephanie Trotter OBE, CO Gas Safety; Halvor Erikstein, SAFE; Christine Standing (MA); Capt. Ray Ronan, co-author of Seconds to Disaster; Peter Jackson, former IPA General Secretary; the late Susie Anderson; Capt. Trefor Mercer; Capt. Ray Godfrey; Capt. Tim Lindsay and First Officer Karen Lysakowska. Apologies to anyone I have forgotten. Note that some names have been changed to protect the identities of those still working within the aviation industry. My greatest appreciation must be reserved for Captain Tristan Loraine and Dr Susan Michaelis, both of the Global Cabin Air Quality Executive (GCAQE), fellow pilots who became ill from exposure to oil fumes and have worked tirelessly for others. They also saved my life in 2006. My thanks are due too to those who provided the illustra- tions in this book. Every effort has been made to contact the rights holders, but in a few cases this has not proved possible; I should be glad to provide full credit in future editions to those whose work it has not been possible to credit fully here. Since I began flying, I have always been convinced that diffi- culties, however large or small, can be overcome eventually, but only once sufficient evidence exists to bring about change. x Preface and acknowledgements I am certain that when public courts view the available evidence, including sworn testimonies and actual concentra- tions of chemicals in fume events, known solutions will be rapidly forthcoming. This book has undergone a process of peer review, which for those unfamiliar with the term, is an evaluation of work done by those in the same field, most commonly the academic field. This is not an academic work, it is a layperson’s introduction to the issue. Nevertheless, this book has been reviewed by over 20 experts, from aircrew to government scientists from both sides of the discourse, over a period of three months, in an effort to present the facts in the most accurate way possible. None of the above, however, bear any responsibility for what I have written, nor can any of them necessarily be associated with my views Copies of this book can be found in the Bodleian Library, Oxford; Cambridge University Library; National Library of Scotland; Library of Trinity College Dublin; National Library of Wales; Ottawa Public Library; Auckland City Libraries; New York Public Library; National Library of Australia (Canberra); New South Wales State Library (Sydney); and the University of New South Wales Library (Sydney).