One of the more poignant parliamentary debates I’ve spoken in took place last week, on cabin air safety and aerotoxic syndrome.
When this issue was first brought to my attention over a year ago, I was made aware of the tragic and untimely death of my former constituent, Matt Bass, in 2014, a member of cabin crew for a number of airlines, at the age of 34.
Of course airliners fly at an altitude where the conditions don't allow people to breathe independently, hot compressed air is drawn from the engines and, once cooled, directed into the cabin to supply breathable air – known as bleed air.
Jet engine lubrication contains organophosphates, which are added to the oil, and prevent parts of the engine from wearing out or overheating.
Engines obviously operate at high temperatures and when heated the oil will give off fumes, resulting in a toxic cocktail of chemical vapours and gases that includes carbon monoxide, which are harmful and irritating.
It's alleged that faults with the engine seals can lead these fumes to occasionally contaminating the cabin air, which can cause negative health effects through ‘fume events’ (where oil fumes from the engine enter the cabin) and long-term, low-level exposure, from flying.
I welcome that the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner removes the problem because instead of ‘bleed air’ its system sees air supplied directly from the atmosphere, and not through the engines. Local airlines like Virgin Atlantic and Thomson operate Dreamliners.
Last year I had the pleasure of meeting with Matt’s parents, Charlie and Fiona, who with dignity and determination are campaigning on this issue so no other parents need to go through what they have experienced.
I raised this issue in the House of Commons in July 2015, and followed up with a further approach to the Transport Secretary.
I learned quickly from speaking to other MPs, as well as listening to other colleagues in last week’s debate, that this issue has potentially affected people across the country and I welcome the Civil Aviation Authority now investigating the issue.