Toxic Cabin Air Is Causing Brain Injuries: Report

Passengers and crew on commercial flights are increasingly being sickened by toxic fumes leaking into airplane cabins—a hidden hazard that industry leaders have downplayed for years despite mounting reports of serious health effects, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation. The issue is linked to "bleed air," a system used in nearly every modern jetliner to draw outside air into the cabin after it first passes through an aircraft's engines. As seals degrade, oil and hydraulic fluid can leak, vaporize, and contaminate the cabin with fumes sometimes likened to the smell of "dirty feet." These have triggered emergencies and sickened crews.

Flight attendant Florence Chesson, who was exposed to a fume event on a 2017 flight, was afterward diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and permanent damage to her peripheral nervous system. Experts compared her injuries to those seen in soldiers exposed to gases during combat. Airlines and plane makers maintain that such events are rare and pose limited health risks. But there were about 108 fume events per million departures in 2024, up from just 12 per million in 2014, per the Journal, which suggests a link to rapidly degrading seals on Airbus' A320 family of aircraft. One A320 reported six fume events in one month.

Regulators and manufacturers have resisted calls for comprehensive fixes, often blaming symptoms on stress or other non-chemical causes. Meanwhile, congressional efforts to mandate better monitoring and filtration have mostly stalled, and industry groups have lobbied against stricter standards. While Airbus has solutions in mind—like moving air intakes or installing filters—these won't be widely available until at least 2026. Until then, both crews and passengers may be left breathing air that's not as clean as they think.