Boeing accused of exposing flight crew, passengers to “fume events”
Four flight attendants are suing Boeing for allegedly exposing them to toxic air aboard a commercial flight from Boston to San Diego. The 2013 flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Chicago after three of the four flight attendants on board lost consciousness and had to be rushed to a hospital. Two years later, all four flight attendants still suffer health effects that include memory loss and constant tremors.
The lawsuit alleges a decades-long attempt by Boeing to conceal “fume events” – instances where toxic chemicals from oil in a jet’s engines mix with the air being pumped into a plane’s cabin. The resulting toxicity, specifically from neurotoxins like organophosphates, puts airline personnel and passengers at risk. The suit, filed in Illinois where Boeing is headquartered, accuses the company of fraud and negligence, as well as design defects and failure to warn about the dangers of toxic cabin air.