Poisonous fumes on British jets made aircrew 'dizzy and sick'

Up to 200,000 passengers in a year have been exposed to contaminated air and potentially toxic fumes in British aircraft, it was claimed last night.

The fumes have left some aircrew "dizzy", "spacey" (disorientated) and "nauseous", and in some cases pilots have used oxygen masks to counteract the effects.

The incidents are revealed in an analysis of confidential reports made by pilots and the records of the Civil Aviation Authority, which suggest there have been more than 100 events where fumes have seeped into the interior of aircraft. And a report from University College London says that up to 197,000 passengers may have been exposed to contaminated air in 2004.

The analysis by The Observer found that in more than 40 incidents the pilots who inhaled the gases had been partially impaired. Burning engine oil seeping into the ventilation system is thought to be the cause of many of the cases, with the airliners most affected being the Boeing 757 and BAE 146.

Sarah Mackenzie-Ross, a consultant clinical neuro-psychologist at UCL, told The Observer: "Passengers may suffer mild flu-like symptoms although it may affect others in a more drastic way. For pilots the problem is they could become dizzy or disorientated and that could affect their ability to handle the aircraft."

At least six British Airways pilots are reported to have suffered some form of impairment on flights since 2004. The airline said investigations with the CAA found there were no health implications from the fumes.