Latest news with #toxicfumes
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Mid-air emergencies on two flights 60 seconds apart spark travel chaos at major UK airport
Two flights were faced with mid-air emergencies 60 seconds apart, which sparked travel chaos at Gatwick airport. The British Airways flight en route to Cancun declared a full emergency after 'toxic fumes' filled the cabin of its Boeing 777-200 on Tuesday. The smoke prompted oxygen masks to deploy mid-air and even forced pilots to open cockpit windows for fresh air. Passengers described a pungent stench 'like used socks' that left several feeling dizzy. The aircraft, carrying 340 passengers and crew, had to circle the capital for 45 minutes to dump fuel before making a priority landing at 3:29pm, nearly an hour after its 2:11pm departure. Emergency services were on standby as the plane touched down, The Sun reports. The runway and the aircraft both underwent thorough inspections, grounding the Cancun service for 24 hours with passengers having to be put in airport hotels overnight. Just one minute later, an easyJet flight from Madeira triggered a separate emergency, issuing a 'pan pan' alert after a bird strike. easyJet's airbus A320, with around 190 people onboard, requested a continuous descent and a sterile runway before landing safely at 3:30pm The airbus A320, with around 190 people onboard, requested a continuous descent and a sterile runway before landing safely at 3:30pm. Both incidents temporarily shut Gatwick's main runway as emergency crews assessed potential hazards. Some passengers and crew reportedly needed medical treatment for exposure to the unknown fumes. The BA flight finally departed for Mexico the following day. BA confirmed the plane landed safely at the airport after pilots found a 'technical issue'. The airliner added: 'Our customers disembarked normally and we've apologised for the disruption to their travel plans.' Meanwhile budget airliner easyJet said the flight from Funchal asked for a priority landing into London Gatwick before being met by emergency services as a precaution. A spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Flight EZY8520 from Funchal to London Gatwick on 15 July requested a priority landing into London Gatwick. 'The aircraft landed normally was met by emergency services in line with procedures, purely as a precaution. 'The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers' guidelines.'
The Sun
6 days ago
- The Sun
Travel chaos as TWO flights have mid-air emergencies within A MINUTE at major UK airport
TWO flights endured mid-air emergencies within 60 SECONDS at the UK's second biggest airport, sparking travel chaos. A British Airways Boeing 777-200 declared a dramatic "full emergency" due to "toxic fumes" in the cabin and was forced to land at 3.29pm. 3 3 Meanwhile an easyJet flight landed at Gatwick airport at 3.30pm after declaring a "pan pan" alert following a bird strike. British Airways flight BA2203 bound for Cancun had to circle London for 45 minutes while it dumped fuel before it was safe to return to the West Sussex hub. Oxygen masks were deployed and the pilots were even forced to open the windows in the cockpit to let in fresh air. Passengers among the 340 flyers and crew onboard reported a 'smell of used socks' which left them 'dizzy'. Emergency services lined the runway as the plane landed at 3.29pm - almost an hour after the 2.11pm take-off. The Gatwick runway and BA aircraft both needed close inspection after the unscheduled touchdown. The Sun understands staff and passengers required medical attention on landing due to exposure to the mystery fumes. BA's flight to Mexico was postponed for 24 hours, with passengers forced to stay in local airport hotels. Tuesday's chaos meant the Gatwick to Cancun service did not operate until today. BA told The Sun: 'The aircraft landed safely at Gatwick after our pilots identified a technical issue. Customers disembarked normally and we've apologised for the disruption to their travel plans.' At the same time easyJet Flight EZY8520 declared a "pan pan" drama caused by a suspected bird strike en route from Madeira in sun-kissed Portugal. The alarmed pilots requested a "continuous descent into Gatwick airport" and "sterile runway'" for the twin-jet Airbus A320 with around 190 crew and passengers onboard. After landing at 3.30pm on Tuesday, officials had to inspect the runway before it was allowed to re-open. EasyJet told The Sun: "Flight EZY8520 from Funchal to London Gatwick on 15 July requested a priority landing into London Gatwick. "The aircraft landed normally was met by emergency services in line with procedures, purely as a precaution. 'The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers' guidelines.'
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Military aircrew pursuing MoD after cancer diagnoses reaches 180
At least 180 current and former armed forces aircrew with cancer they claim was caused by exposure to toxic fumes in helicopters are pursuing the Ministry of Defence for flight sergeant Zach Stubbings, who died aged 47 in January, is one of at least six people who have received an out-of-court settlement from the MoD although the MoD has not admitted liability.A group that represents veterans has urged the MoD to take swift action to protect those still serving and also raise awareness among former servicemen and MoD said it believed engine exhaust emissions were of no risk to health but it was conducting monitoring to demonstrate this. The MoD confirmed in February it was trying to determine the number of people who have served as aircrew who have been diagnosed with cancer and was testing the exhaust emissions of its rotary wing law firm has said it had received inquiries from 180 aircrew and James solicitors told the BBC it was pursuing claims relating to four military aircraft - the Sea King, the Westland Wessex, the Puma and the CH-47 Chinook. The Sea King was used in British military operations between 1969 and 2018 and has in the past been flown by both King Charles and the Prince of Westland Wessex was retired in 2003 while the Puma and the CH-47 Chinook are both still in contracted by some of the crew who flew the helicopters include lung cancer, throat cancer, testicular cancer and some rare forms of blood cancer. Flight sergeant Zach, who trained the Prince of Wales on RAF Sea King helicopters at RAF Valley in north Wales, was 33 when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable form of blood cancer that mainly affects those over the age of 65."He started to think, 'hang on a minute, I'm a 33-year-old man who's had this diagnosis of a blood cancer that isn't common in men in their thirties... I'm going to look into it'," recalled his widow Anna-Louise. She is the founder of an organ donation charity which she set up nine years ago after her husband Stuart and seven-year-old son Fraser were killed by a careless met Zach when he contacted her charity Believe after receiving a stem cell transplant before marrying in 2020. "He was appreciating every day after his struggles with this illness and I was just appreciating being part of a team again, having somebody that just completely had my back," said Anna-Louise. Zach knew his time was limited and was determined to understand the cause of his cancer and spread awareness. He later discovered others who had worked on military aircraft had also received a cancer diagnosis."Zach was never bitter, he wasn't vengeful at all, he was the most kind man and he adored his years of service," said Anna-Louise. Zach's case was settled without the MoD admitting liability. "That settlement for Zach allowed him the opportunity to have some kind of recompense but more importantly, to be able to make some memories," said Anna-Louise. Now she is focused on continuing Zach's work to encourage the MoD to launch a cancer screening programme and raise awareness of the issue to aircrew and veterans. "How many more people are not aware?" she said. "How many people don't know because they have not been screened? How many people don't know what's around the corner?". Zach's solicitor Louisa Donaghy has been working through the inquiries from veterans and aircrew with cancer and has so far submitted 50 claims."I do feel that is just the tip of the iceberg," said Louisa, a senior associate in Hugh James' military department in Cardiff."There will be people out there that don't know they've got cancer and also that will be diagnosed in the future." Ms Donaghy said for each of the six claims she had settled without any admission of liability by the MoD, she had to establish that the MoD had a duty of care to its employees and that the duty had been Donaghy added: "The people that I'm representing through no fault of their own have been exposed unnecessarily for long periods of time - and for thousands of flying hours - to these toxic fumes and these could have been prevented had the MoD given additional PPE such as filtration masks, which would have narrowed and lowered the levels of exposure." One charity for veterans has called for the MoD to be more proactive raising awareness."I don't think the MoD are going far enough," said Graham Jones of Woody's Lodge."We need to get that message out to the veterans' community and get people through a screening process so we can get an early indication of cancer and then we might be able to get a better survival rate within those veterans that are Jones said many veterans where he lives in north Wales were unaware of the issue."We all knew when we served in the armed forces there were going to be certain risks, but they were from conflict," he said. "You don't expect it from the equipment that you're using." Zach's local Welsh Parliament member wants PPE introduced for those still serving on Puma and Chinook helicopters and has called for a cancer screening programme for personnel and veterans."It's really important to remember that there's human beings at the end of this, there's families at the end of this who are very anxious... and my constituent has died," said Cardiff North MS Julie Morgan."It's a matter of huge concern. The MoD should be as transparent as it possibly can be and I urge the MoD to carry on their investigations as swiftly as they can because it's owed to people." The MoD said it believed engine exhaust emissions were of no risk to health but it was conducting monitoring to enable it to demonstrate May, the Independent Medical Expert Group (IMEG), which advises the MoD, reviewed evidence about a possible link between exhaust emissions from Sea King helicopters and rare cancers, specifically multiple myeloma and leiomyosarcoma, and found insufficient evidence to establish a clear causal relationship."We take the health of our personnel extremely seriously and regularly review our processes to ensure that we're doing our utmost to keep our people safe," it said in a statement. It added: "Any death is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Zach Stubbings."
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Superfit SAS veteran who needs lung transplant after being 'poisoned' by fumes when ISIS torched oil wells sues his CNN employers for £200,000
A superfit SAS veteran who was 'poisoned' by fumes from an ISIS cocktail is now claiming £200,000 compensation. Adam Dobby, 54, had been working as a security consultant for CNN when he was allegedly repeatedly exposed to toxic chemicals in torched oil and sulphur. Mr Dobby is suing Cable News International Limited at London 's High Court as he claims one of his lungs was so damaged he requires a transplant. The former SAS operative, who was once fit enough to run 56-hour ultra marathons in the Libyan desert, says he was not properly protected while working as an independent contractor in the warzone. But the company has denied liability for his injury, pointing out that Mr Dobby had worked in the same areas as its news crews - and that no risk of respiratory issues was identified at the time or after. Mr Dobby, of Cheltenham, held his military position between 1993 and 2000, including in the Balkans, before leaving the army and working as a security consultant and field producer for news teams in warzones. He also turned his hand to war photography and has exhibited his work at galleries near his home in Gloucestershire and in London. According to documents lodged at the High Court, Mr Dobby was working as an independent contractor in Iraq and Syria in 2015 and 2016 when he was exposed to hazardous fumes. His job involved providing advice to news crews, acting as a liaison with locals and accompanying them on their expeditions across Iraq and Northern Syria. At that time, Islamic State had begun a tactic of damaging oil well heads and chemical plants and setting fires to create thick plumes of smoke and fumes to disguise their activities. 'During this period of time, Mr Dobby was required to work in an atmosphere which was constantly poisoned by the smoke and fume contained within these plumes,' says his barrister, Michael Rawlinson KC. 'Not only were the effects of the plume all pervading, they would be exacerbated by the fact that, in order to obtain telegenic shots, the crews would work in as close proximity as they could to the plumes where that was the point of the story being recorded. 'An exacerbating feature of all of his exposures was the regular presence of sandstorms, the effects of which were to both to stir up any toxic dust created hitherto by the smoke from the fires and to render it unpredictable as to which area the freshly created fumes, smoke and soot would continue to contaminate the air he breathed.' But despite the noxious pollutants in the air, Mr Dobby says he was not provided with adequate PPE or training by CNN, which 'asked him to remain' when he expressed concern about burning sulphur storage facilities. He said the result was that Mr he had 'regularly and persistently inhaled a cocktail of soot, smoke and fumes,' which included sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and other chemicals which would have at least contributed to his respiratory problems. Suing for more than £200,000, he claims he at first noticed an 'insidious onset of shortness of breath' around 2017, which worsened in 2022, before a diagnosis of obliterative bronchiolitis - a lung disease which damages small airways - in 2023. He says his disease is down to the inhalation of toxic fumes and CNN is responsible because he was not adequately protected while working for them. Previously 'supremely fit' - to the point he was able in 2007 to complete a 190-mile Libyan Challenge ultra-marathon, which saw him run 56 hours non-stop in desert - he now needs a lung transplant, the barrister says. In its defence to the action, CNN barrister Jayne Adams KC says: 'At all material times, the duties of Mr Dobby required him to provide security advice for and to assess the risks to the journalist teams on the ground. 'He was required to look after the safety of the team. In so far as there were any risks which were outside his experience and expertise, he was required to liaise with his security lead. 'If there was a particular issue, for example the risk of fume and/or dust exposure, he would have been expected to have raised it and to have procured any equipment that was needed. 'It is denied that during the time that Mr Dobby carried out these services, there was known to be any issue with dust and/or fume. 'Further or in the alternative, it is denied that there was any foreseeable risk of injury arising from any exposure to dust and/or fume. 'Mr Dobby worked in the same areas and under the same conditions as many of the news crews and their security. It is denied that any known risk and/or issue with respiratory difficulties arose either at the time or subsequently. 'When there was a risk of chemical weapons being utilised, suitable PPE was provided. There were also 3M masks in the PPE bags provided and taken with the crews. 'It was not an environment in which these were habitually required. 'It is not admitted that Mr Dobby was regularly or significantly exposed to substances giving rise to the risk of injury to health. He must prove the fact and extent of exposure and the relative potency of the substances to which he alleges he was exposed strictly.' She also said Mr Dobby had agreed a 'termination of independent contractor's agreement' when he left CNN in which he was paid a sum and agreed to release the company from any claims he had against it. 'In the circumstances, the defendant contends that Mr Dobby has compromised any right he may have to bring a claim and denies that he now has any such entitlement,' she said. The case has not yet gone before a judge, but will be the subject of a full High Court trial unless the parties agree to a settlement outside of court.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Val Verde residents say nearby toxic Chiquita Canyon landfill is making them sick
The Brief The Chiquita Canyon Landfill has been closed since January. Acres of garbage are burning deep inside the landfill. Nearby residents say their health has been negatively impacted by the toxic fumes and liquids coming from the facility. LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - After FOX 11 got a look inside the now-closed Chiquita Canyon Landfill in the Castaic area, residents in Val Verde invited us to visit and see first-hand the health troubles the community is facing because, they say, of the landfill. What we know Assemblymembers Pilar Schiavo, Juan Carrillo and Anamarie Avila Farias, and Congressman George Whitesides visited with Val Verde residents on Friday. The community is right next to the landfill, which stopped taking in garbage in January. What they're saying Residents are grappling with health problems they blame on the toxic fumes released by the landfill. PREVIOUS: FOX 11 tours Chiquita Canyon landfill The other side Chiquita Canyon officials deny that emissions are causing the problems they're describing: things like rashes, nosebleeds, nausea, respiratory ailments and cancer. Chiquita offered a community relief program when the reaction was first acknowledged, but has since stopped the program. Residents say they need relocation funds, because their homes are unsellable. What's next Schiavo is working on multiple pieces of legislation she hopes will solve the issue. AB28, the Landfill Safety Act, would strengthen oversight and impose large penalties to fund relief and relocation for the communities impacted by the landfill. AB27, the Chiquita Canyon Tax Relief Act, would ensure that families who received relief funds would not face tax penalties. Val Verde residents, though, say legislation takes time, and they don't have that luxury. The Source Information in this story is from interviews with Val Verde residents and Chiquita Canyon officials, and previous FOX 11 reports.
