On 17 and 18 of September 2019, the Aircraft Cabin Air Conference took place again in London, the largest international conference ever held about air quality on board of airplanes. Just like in 2017, this conference was organised by the Global Cabin Air Quality Executive (GCAQE).
Attendants
The conference was once again well attended by numerous prominent medical specialists and scientific researchers, representatives of trade unions and over 30 airline companies from around the globe. Manufacturers Pall Aerospace (air filters and sensors) and BASF (Ozone/VOC convertors) were present for a presentation about their products.
Absent
Unfortunately the authorities (EASA, FAA) and aircraft manufacturers (Boeing, Airbus, Embraer) were blatently absent. Also the Dutch unions unfortunately didn’t show up, except for the NVLT (Dutch Association of Aviation Technicians), who did send a representative.
The conference
Of course Stichting Fly Aware was also present. We had two very busy, but interesting days. Over 30 speakers from around the globe updated us about the latest developments and insights in the technical, legal and medical fields, and the progress made in running research programs. Organo phosphates and (ultra) fine particles were unanimously pointed out as the main pathogens. They cause demonstrable damage, in particular to the brains, nerve system and respiratory system. TAP and Icelandair explained how they handle fume events. They both emphasised that it is sometimes problematic to determine the exact cause of cabin air contamination Click here for a short impression of all the presentations given.
Between all the presentations, there was ample opportunity to establish new contacts and to consolidate existing ones. All in all we are looking back on a very successful meeting indeed!