Air quality in aircraft - Causes of odors and relationship with health complaints

The air in aircraft cabins, both while on the ground and in the air, can for technical reasons from time to time contain contaminants. In this context health complaints by crew members have been reported. The air contaminations generally manifest as unpleasant odors. In particular media reports - focus on vapors or, respectively, decomposition products of turbine oils and the respective additive tricresyl phosphate (TCP) as a possible cause. Tricresyl phosphates occur in several different isomeric forms. It is indeed possible that oil components can accidentally enter the cabin and cockpit together with the bleed air. However, disturbing odors in passenger aircraft are by no means solely due to turbine oils. There are also other sources of unpleasant and disturbing smells. In the past, crew members reported about health - impairments associated with odors. The social insurance for traffic and transport (BG Verkehr) is the responsible insurance agency to which widely - varying health complaints have been reported. Altogether, one has to assume that a multifactorial phenomenon is involved which is as yet not completely clarified. Adverse health effects of TCP alone and in particular of its ortho isomers can be discounted on the basis of biomonitoring results.