Toxic Air on Airplanes: Orlando congressman’s fight to make flying safer

Toxic fumes leak into the cabins of commercial flights across the United States more than three times a day, according to a CBS News review of Federal Aviation Administration incident reports — and flight attendants say it is making them sick.

Now, a bipartisan bill is pushing to fix the problem. The legislation would require filters on bleed-air systems and eventually phase out their use entirely. Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost from Orlando is among its supporters.

“Our bipartisan piece of legislation will end the use of this antiquated air system,” Frost said.

Cher Taylor, a flight attendant and member of the Association of Flight Attendants, is one of the people driving that push. She says repeated exposure to cabin fumes left her with permanent lung damage.

“I was diagnosed by a pulmonologist with acute asthma and reactive airway disease, and that’s something I’ll have for the rest of my life,” Taylor said.

How fume events happen

Most commercial jetliners are designed to circulate cabin air through the aircraft’s engines. When an engine seal fails, potentially toxic chemical fumes can be released into the cabin — a phenomenon flight attendants call a “fume event.”

Taylor describes the smell as unmistakable.

“It’s a very distinctive smell,” she said. “It’s like a dirty sock smell.”

Taylor says she has experienced three serious fume events. The most severe, in 2023, sent her to the emergency room.

“My eyes were burning, my nose was burning, chest was hurting. I felt dizzy. I had a headache, which led to vomiting,” she said.

Airlines say cabin air meets safety standards

Airlines for America, which represents the major U.S. airlines, declined an on-camera interview but issued a statement calling safety its top priority.

“Modern aircraft have highly effective environmental control systems that filter air as it is circulated throughout the aircraft cabin, and multiple studies over the years have consistently concluded that cabin air meets or exceeds health and safety standards,” the group said.

Some passengers say the issue warrants closer attention.

“I do notice sometimes I get headaches or it’s a little harder to breathe on planes, so I think continued investigation of this and diligence by the airplanes is important,” said passenger Eric Johnson.

What you can do

Flight attendants advise passengers who believe they are encountering a fume event to report it immediately to the flight crew. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the first major commercial aircraft designed without an engine air bleed system.