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21 Med. & L. 179 (2002)
Forensic Aspects of the Aerotoxic Syndrome

handle is hein.journals/mlv21 and id is 183 raw text is: Med Law (2002) 21:179-199 Medicine and Law CYOZMOT 2002 Forensic Law FORENSIC ASPECTS OF THE AEROTOXIC SYNDROME Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne* Abstract: Three decades ago, cabin air quality was seemingly not an issue in commercial aviation and the incidence of disease through air borne vectors or toxic fumes was uncommon among passengers and crew. However, it is claimed that modem day jet airliners generally carry the threat of disease through the ventilator systems of these aircraft which are designed for optimum efficiency, leaving them exposed to lapses in the recycling of clean air and blocking fumes from engine exhausts of the jets from entering the inhabited parts of the aircraft. It has been claimed that aerotoxic fumes are most common in the cockpit, and that the technical crew are the most susceptible to the aerotoxic syndrome. This article will trace the causative factors of the syndrome from a medical standpoint and attenuate legal principles involved in liability issues of the carrier. Keywords: Aerotoxic syndrome; bodily integrity; accident; negligence; Warsaw Convention; Montreal Convention. INTRODUCTION The premise that contaminated cabins can spread disease has been aired several times within the aviation community. At the 17th Annual International Cabin Safety Symposium, held in Los Angeles, California in March 2000, participants addressed the issue openly, on the basis that the cabin of a modern jetliner, with its mix of fresh and recirculated air, is a veritable incubator of potential disease.' At this Symposium, it was reported that the floors in locker room showers * DCL, LL.M, LL.B, FRAeS, FCIT. International Civil Aviation Organization, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 1. Contaminated Cabins Can Spread Disease, Special Report: Cabin Safety, Highlights of the Southern California Safety Institute's 17th Annual International Cabin Safety Symposium, Part II, Disease in the Cabin, Air Safety Week, Vol. 14, No. 11, March 20, 2000, Washington D.C. at p. 1. 179

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