Public Justice Formally Joins Bleed Air Lawsuit

Brandon West — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:14:24 GMT

For Terry Williams, the health effects of contaminated bleed air have been life altering. A flight attendant for 17 years, Ms. Williams suffered injuries preventing her from working, from taking care of her children, and from functioning in a manor she would consider normal. Doctors have connected her injuries with an exposure to bleed air contaminated with toxic engine oil fumes.

“Public Justice is joining this case because toxic bleed air is a problem of national importance,” said Leslie Brueckner, the lead Public Justice attorney on the case. “One of Public Justice’s core missions is to use damage litigation to compensate victims of corporate misconduct. Success in this case will also create a financial incentive for Boeing to get the poison out of the air breathed by its passengers and crew members.”

The case focuses on the design of the passenger ventilation system used by McDonnell-Douglas on the MD-82, which ‘bleeds’ compressed air off from the engines and is routed back to the passenger compartment. The design of the airplane’s ventilation system would permit toxic chemicals from burned engine oil or hydraulic fluid to enter the cabin air supply without filtration.

This case could have broad reach in the travel industry in regards to public health and safety. For airlines, this could start a pro-active process in addressing safety issues like contaminated bleed air before people are injured.

Toxic Bleed Air – Additional Information

The complaint: Williams v. McDonnell Douglas Corp.

Prior coverage: Airplane Ventilation System Defect the Focus of Air Bleed Contamination Case

Informative reading: The Airliner Cabin Environment and the Health of Passengers and Crew

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Brandon West

Airplane Ventilation System Defect the Focus of Air Bleed Contamination Case

Brandon West — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:37:06 GMT

For former flight attendant Terry Williams, there is no doubt in her mind that the ventilation system used on the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 is defective, potentially exposing passengers and airline employees to dangerous toxic chemicals. Unfortunately for Ms. Williams, part of the proof is in the permanent side effects she lives with daily after being exposed to toxic chemicals that entered the cabin through a malfunction of the plane’s bleed air ventilation system.

In addition to recirculating cabin air, the MD-82 utilizes a system that bleeds off compressed air from the engines and after cooling, routes into the cabin. Through normal use, oil, hydraulic fluid and other contaminants can sometimes enter the compressor side of the engine, releasing toxic gases as they burn, which is then pumped back into the cabin. This gas contains toxic organophosphates known as TCPs (tricresyl phosphate), a chemical found in nerve agents, pesticides and insecticides which is known to cause dizziness, fatigue, respiratory diseases, bronchial spasms, and neurological impairments in cognitive functioning, headaches, speech impairments, and peripheral neuropathies, including uncontrolled tremors. At this time, no civilian commercial aircraft utilizing a bleed air ventilation system is currently equipped with any filtration, sensors or warning system to alert crews to contaminants in the air of the cabin or flight deck.

Studies Show Toxic Fume Events Occur Daily on Flights

As reported by CNN, studies on fume events show they are more common than one might think. A National Research Council report in 2002, using data from three Canadian airlines, said that on one aircraft model, nearly four out of 1,000 flights had a fume event.

The Committee on Toxicity in the United Kingdom, a group made up of independent experts who advise government agencies, said in September 2007 that pilots reported events in 1 percent of flights and that maintenance inspected and confirmed incidents in 0.05 percent of flights.

"These frequency estimates may all sound low, but consider that there were 10.65 million flights on U.S. registered aircraft in 2008. Even 0.05 percent of flights translates into about 14 events per day," said Judith Murawski, an industrial hygienist with the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, who has studied the issue for more than nine years.

Public Justice Lawyers Representing Rights of Flight Attendant

Public Justice Foundation members Mike Withey and Alisa Brodkowitz filed suit against McDonnell Douglas and Boeing, the manufacturers of the MD-82 aircraft, in Washington state court on April 9, 2009. The suit alleges that McDonnell Douglas and Boeing designed, manufactured, and sold an aircraft that is defective under Washington law in the design of its environmental control system, bleed air system, air delivery system, filtration system, and ventilation system.

The defendants filed an answer on August 11, 2009. The answer generally denied any product defect but admitted that the industry has, “for decades,” been aware of “bleed air contamination” and that TCP is a toxic substance.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Brandon West

Novato Personal Injury Lawyer - Mass Transit (Airline, Cruise Ship, Train, Bus)

Public Justice Formally Joins Bleed Air Lawsuit

Airplane Ventilation System Defect the Focus of Air Bleed Contamination Case