$1M+ dressing down

Jury award for workers sickened by ‘toxic’ AA uniforms

Four flight attendants for American Airlines who claimed that their uniforms made them sick with headaches, bronchitis, swollen eyes, skin rashes and other ailments were awarded more than $1 million by a California jury.

The verdict against Twin Hill and its ex-parent company, Tailored Brands, was announced by a jury in Alameda County Superior Court last week.

In their lawsuit, the flight attendants claimed that their uniforms contained traces of formaldehyde, toluene and other toxic chemicals linked to health problems.

Resins containing formaldehyde have been used in fabric for years to keep clothes wrinkle-free and make them last longer.

In 2017, more than 400 American Airlines employees filed suit against Twin Hill and Tailored Brands, the makers of uniforms worn by the carrier’s flight attendants.

The jury decided that the uniforms provided by Twin Hill were a “substantial factor in causing harm” to the flight attendants. However, jurors said the company was not negligent in its design of the garments nor in failing to recall them when complaints began to pour in.

Tracey Silver-Charan, a flight attendant living in Los Angeles, was awarded $320,000, according to The Washington Post.

American gave new uniforms to flight attendants in 2016, and many were happy to get them after a decade in the same outfit. Complaints soon followed, however.

“I would wake up and my eyes would be completely swollen,” Silver-Charan told The Associated Press. “I looked like I had been in a boxing match.

“I was unable to breathe. I often felt like I was going to pass out on the job. I was coming home and my husband was running me to the urgent care.”

A 2010 study by congressional researchers found that formaldehyde levels in clothing is generally low, but some people suffer allergic reactions including rashes, blisters, and itchy or burning skin. Washing clothes before wearing them can help, but doesn’t always work.

American eventually ended the contract with Twin Hill and contracted with Land’s End for uniforms. Twin Hill and American Airlines didn’t respond to requests for comment.

I looked like I had been in a boxing match

— Tracey Silver-Charan