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Illness Among Flight Attendants Due to Aircraft Disinsection

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Source: Archived Content

Date: Feb 04, 2004

Yep.  They are still spraying the planes.  And people are still concerned about it.

The State of California Health and Human Services Agency released a 45-page report dated Oct 23, 2003 titled "Occupational Illness Among Flight Attendants Due to Aircraft Disinsection".

Here's an excerpt from their findings:

Residual disinsection poses a hazard to flight attendants. Residual disinsection resulted in illness among 12 flight attendants exposed to the aircraft cabin environment after disinsection. The documented acute illnesses likely understate the health risks of this procedure because many barriers to acute illness recognition and reporting exist.

The conditions of use (i.e., the aerosol application of a pesticide in a confined space) significantly contributed to the human health hazard of residual disinsection. Residual disinsection procedures involved placing flight attendants in a pesticide-treated area with few industrial hygiene measures to limit their exposure. Post-disinsection aircraft ventilation procedures and administrative measures did not effectively limit flight attendants’ exposure. A wide range of pesticide exposure levels routinely occurred on treated aircraft, 2 including the potential for greater than “average” exposures. Flight attendants’ illnesses may have been exacerbated because they were unable to remove themselves from exposure and seek medical care in a timely way.

Thanks to Peter Johnson, LAXSW for sending us the info!

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