Garamendi reintroduces cabin air bill
On Thursday, U.S. Representative John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Cabin Air Safety Act to protect airline pilots, flight attendants and passengers from toxic cabin air.
While planes pressurize and ventilate the cabin with outside air that flows through the engines, faulty seals and other malfunctions can lead to the circulation of engine oil, deicing fluids, insecticides and other harmful fumes around the cabin.
According to reports, exposures to these toxins have led to respiratory and neurological conditions such as breathing difficulties, headaches and fatigue and have nearly incapacitated pilots while flying.
The legislation would establish air quality standards and assist with the monitoring, reporting and investigating of these “toxic fume” events.
“All Americans have the right to expect safe, clean air when they fly. I am deeply concerned by the documented cases where pilots, flight attendants, and passengers have become sick and even hospitalized from toxic cabin air,” said Garamendi in a news release.
“The Cabin Air Safety Act takes commonsense steps to protect airline passengers and crew, including installing carbon monoxide detectors in commercial aircraft. I look forward to working with Senator Blumenthal to advance this critically important legislation.”
Blumenthal also weighed in on the issue.
“Passengers and crew deserve to know the air they're breathing is safe and toxin-free,” said Blumenthal. “Protecting fliers from harmful fumes that leak into the cabin is essential to safeguarding their health. Our legislation takes action where the FAA and airline industry haven't — requiring air detector and monitoring equipment, incident reporting, and investigations of these events to ensure a safer travel experience for all Americans.”
The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, RPenn., in the House. In the Senate, the bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Dianne Feinstein, DCalif.