{"id":8129,"date":"2016-03-15T16:37:48","date_gmt":"2016-03-15T16:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=8129"},"modified":"2016-03-16T11:31:27","modified_gmt":"2016-03-16T11:31:27","slug":"toxic-air-legal-cases-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=8129","title":{"rendered":"Toxic air legal cases rise"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Unite revealed today (March 15) that it was pursuing legal action against a number of UK airlines on behalf of 61 cabin crew after they were exposed to \u00e2\u20ac\u0098toxic cabin air\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 while working on board aircraft.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe news of the individual legal cases comes ahead of Thursday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s (March 17) Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons on cabin air safety and aerotoxic syndrome, which was secured by Jonathan Reynolds MP.<\/p>\n

 
\nConcern has been mounting over \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fume events\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and exposure to contaminated cabin air, with the number of legal cases being pursued by Unite increasing from 17 to 61 in recent months amid calls by the union for an independent inquiry.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite is also supporting the family of Matthew Bass, a Unite member, who had a 15 year career as cabin crew before his sudden death in January 2014. Matthew was found to have died from \u00e2\u20ac\u0098chronic exposure to organophosphates.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

 
\nIn most modern aircraft unfiltered \u00e2\u20ac\u0098bleed air\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 from jet engines is used to supply the cabin, but faults with engine seals and seepage can lead to contaminated fumes containing toxins such organophosphates entering the cabin air. Such instances are known as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fume events\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

 
\nAs UNITElive has reported before<\/a>, both long and short-term exposure to contaminated air can lead to what is known as aerotoxic syndrome which affects the peripheral central nervous system and the brain. Symptoms include migraines, fatigue, difficulty thinking, numbness, aches and pains, breathing problems and digestive problems.<\/p>\n

 
\nIn more serious cases, aerotoxic syndrome is suspected to have caused the death of both pilots and cabin crew.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe issue of toxic cabin air is so serious that our cabin crew members are likening it to the impact of asbestos in the building industry,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Unite executive director for legal affairs Howard Beckett.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIncreasing numbers of our members have come forward, seeking help and advice since we set up our toxic air helpline a few months ago. Some have been involved in one-off \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fume events\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 while others fear they have suffered long-term exposure to contaminated cabin air,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is a health issue which the airline industry has been aware of for some time and one which they need to address as a matter of urgency. Continuing to brush it under the carpet will not wash, which is why this parliamentary debate is so important and a fuller public inquiry is needed.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite believes in a safety first approach and is also calling on airlines to monitor cabin air quality and for aircraft manufacturers to fit detectors and filters and \u00e2\u20ac\u0098design out\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 the use of bleed air, therefore reducing the risk of fume events,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Beckett went on to say.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe will not have passengers and our members put at risk and will not rest until the industry acts to eliminate the risk of aerotoxicity and justice is achieved for those whose lives have been blighted by contaminated cabin air.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nJonathan Reynolds MP for Stalybridge and Hyde echoed the call for action on aerotoxic syndrome.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn the twenty first century, people deserve to know the air they breathe at work is clean and safe,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBleed air contamination happens more often than the industry acknowledges, and aerotoxic syndrome can kill.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFor the sake of both passengers and cabin crew, we need to take decisive action to prevent these leaks and understand the dangers to human health.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite is urging cabin crew and the public to get in contact, if they have been involved in a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fume event\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 or believe they may be suffering from aerotoxic syndrome via the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s free helpline on 03330 146 569.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unite revealed today (March 15) that it was pursuing legal action against a number of UK airlines on behalf of 61 cabin crew after they were exposed to \u00e2\u20ac\u0098toxic cabin air\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 while working on board aircraft.   The news of the individual legal cases comes ahead of Thursday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s (March 17) Westminster Hall debate in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3806,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[479],"wps_subtitle":"MPs prepare to debate cabin air safety ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8129"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8129"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8130,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8129\/revisions\/8130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}