Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Mr. Ellwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what tests are carried out on commercial aircraft to measure levels of tricresyl phosphate in cabin air.

Jim Fitzpatrick
The House of Lords Committee on Science and Technology looked into the organophosphate known as TOCP (tri-ortho cresyl phosphate) in 2000, and concluded that

“the very low levels of TOCP that would be found even in the highly unlikely worst case of contamination from oil leaking into the air supply lead us to conclude that the concerns about significant risk to the health of airline passengers and crew are not substantiated.”

The Committee looked again at this matter during its inquiry into Aviation Health in July of this year and took evidence from aviation stakeholders and Ministers. We await its report.

Typically cabin air is changed every two to three minutes and cockpit air every minute; so tests on cabin air need sampling equipment which can pick up transient contaminants. The Department for Transport has commissioned the testing of equipment which may be capable of capturing substances released during fume events. Subject to the results of this testing, the Department hopes to begin a study later this year or early next year.

That study will be designed to detect any potentially harmful substances rather than focusing on named substances, as recommended by the independent Committee on Toxicity which reported on cabin air on 20 September 2007.