Australian Senate Inquiry into Air Safety - BAe 146 Cabin Air Quality – October 2000 - Recommendations

Recommendation 1

(a)                 The Committee recommends that CASA should reassess matters recommended for further action by the BASI/ATSB incident report (No. 199702276) concerning the incident on 10 July 1997 involving Captain Kolver.

(b)                 The Committee also recommends that CASA reassess its requirements for monitoring the operations and cabin and cockpit air quality of the BAe 146 aircraft operating in Australia and, where necessary, introduce regulations under the Civil Aviation Act 1988 specifying:

m               a specific national standard for checking and monitoring the engine seals and air quality in all passenger commercial jet aircraft;

m               maintenance procedures (including specific maintenance procedures for ageing aircraft);

m               specific, appropriate maintenance and operational procedures for the BAe 146 which pay particular attention to the need to ensure aircraft are withdrawn from operational flying and serviced to ensure any operating faults resulting in oil leaks, fumes or smoke are immediately repaired;

m               that incident reports should now be specifically designed so as to reflect the history of the cabin air problem that has been encountered on the BAe 146;

m               sources of contamination in the cabin and cockpit environment in the BAe 146 be identified and further evaluated using appropriate sampling and analytical technology for the contaminants which, for example, might result from the burning of lubricating oil used in the BAe 146 engines;

m               companies operating BAe 146 and other passenger commercial jet aircraft in Australia provide CASA with specific reports on the results of monitoring these matters within an appropriate timeframe, whether quarterly or six-monthly, in order that CASA can assess the operations of the aircraft; and

m               air quality monitoring and compulsory reporting guidelines for all passenger jet aircraft operators.

Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that CASA adopt the modification to aircraft air circulation systems proposal for the BAe 146 aircraft by the aircraft’s manufacturer as compulsory for all BAe 146 operating in Australia and that this be achieved by preparation and issue by CASA of an appropriate form of maintenance direction under the Civil Aviation Regulations.

The Committee also recommends that registration of BAe 146 aircraft operating in Australia be reviewed, and that renewal of Air Operating Certificates and registration of the BAe 146 be subject to completion of those recommended modifications as a condition for continued registration of the aircraft.

Recommendation 3

The Committee believes that development of an appropriate and accurate test for the presence of any chemical fumes in aircraft cabins is essential. The Committee accordingly recommends that CASA liase with operators to develop a standardised, compulsory monitoring program which provides for testing cabin aircraft air during fume events.

Recommendation 4

That the issue of cabin air quality be reviewed by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission with a view to including aerotoxic syndrome in appropriate codes as a matter of reference for future Workers Compensation and other insurance cases.

Recommendation 5

The Committee recommends that the Minister for Transport request the Strategic Research Development Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council to set up and undertake an appropriate research program on the effect of exposure to aircraft cabin air on air crew and passengers. The Committee also recommends that the Minister advise the Parliament on the form and duration of, such a program as part of the Government response to this report.

Recommendation 6

While the Committee is aware that the cases referred to are a matter of state jurisdiction, the Committee recommends that the Minister for Transport, in co-operation with appropriate State Ministers, appoint an experienced, retired judicial officer or eminent person who is appropriately qualified to conduct a review of unsuccessful or inordinately delayed employees’ compensation cases, pilots’ loss of license insurance, personal income protection, and with-held superannuation/other insurance claims made for personal injury and loss of employment as a result of ill health claimed to result from exposure to fumes on the BAe 146 and other aircraft. That person should be asked to report to the Minister on any conclusions they reach and whether those cases were dealt with according to requirements and appropriate standards of procedural fairness.

The Committee also recommends that the Minister table the conclusions and any recommendations it makes in the Parliament.

Recommendation 7

The Committee recommends that the Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business, as the Minister responsible for national issues affecting occupational health and safety authorise a review of the use of Mobil Jet Oil II and that the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme be requested to conduct this review.

The Committee also recommends that the potentially hazardous chemical components of Mobil Jet Oil II be referred to NICNAS as a priority for review and assessment.

Recommendation 8

National Academy of Sciences- The Airliner Cabin Environment - Air Quality & Safety, 1986

·        A data collection program that measures airflow and contamination in airplane cabins should be implemented

·        The committee  recommends that FAA establish a program to monitor selected health effects on airliner crews

National Academy of Sciences- The Airliner Cabin Environment and the Health of Passengers and crew ,December, 2001

Recommendations:

·        Air quality in commercial aircraft should be monitored with a dual approach that includes a routine surveillance program and a more focused research program.

·        Routine surveillance of a number of air-quality characteristics (O3, CO, CO2, fine PM, cabin pressure, relative humidity, and temperature ) should be implemented in a continuing program to characterize the range of air quality found in aircraft.

·        A detailed research program is needed to investigate specific questions about the possible association  between air contaminants and observed or reported health effects. Relevant subjects include factors that affect O3 concentrations in cabin air, the need to lower cabin pressure altitude to prevent hypoxia in susceptible cabin occupants, the adequacy of outside air ventilation flow rates, the severity of events in which contaminants enter bleed air from oil-seal leaks or other equipment malfunctions, the potential for pesticide exposure  due to current disinsection practices, the contribution of low relative humidity to the perception of dryness, and the role of fine PM in generating health complaints.

·        Health surveillance should be integrated into the air monitoring programs. Health surveillance is needed for the systematic collection, analysis and reporting of health outcomes related to routine and non routine conditions in commercial aircraft. On the basis of self-interest and exposure, the cabin crew should be the vehicle through which the surveillance system would operate.

·        Congress should designate a lead federal agency and provide sufficient funds to conduct or direct the research program that is aimed at filling major knowledge gaps identified in this report. An independent advisory committee with appropriate scientific, medical and engineering expertise should be constituted to oversee the research program to ensure that its objectives are met.

DTLR  - Study of Possible effects on Health of Aircraft Cabin Environments,  June, 2001

·         Research Priorities –High priority: Cabin Air Quality (CAQ)

§         An investigation into norms for the key CAQ parameters in flight, with multiple parameters measured in 1 study. Relevant parameters include the oxygen saturation of a range of crew members and passengers, pressures and rates of change, temperature, air movement, humidity, ventilation rate and concentrations of common pollutants and organophosphates. The research should also relate these factors to self-reported health and comfort on flights