Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits, feasibility and cost to commercial airlines of regulations mandating the installation of enhanced air filtration systems or the use of alternative engine oils designed to reduce the risk of cabin air contamination.

The UK has a well-established regulatory requirement for reporting events that could endanger aircraft outlined in UK Reg (EU) No 376/2014. Fume and smoke events must be reported and are subsequently analysed by specialists working in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to inform policy.

The scientific literature on toxicology of fume events is under continuous review by colleagues working in the CAA’s Medical Department. The CAA position statement on Cabin Air Quality can be found at this webpage. This includes a detailed overview of the research that has been undertaken on the topic and the conclusions of a recent study commissioned by my department and undertaken by the Committee on Toxicity (COT). This found that levels of the chemical contaminants reviewed in aircraft cabin air are unlikely to cause adverse health effects following acute or long-term exposures.