Narrative:

I smelt odd fumes for about twenty to thirty minutes and also after confirming the smell with the other working flight attendants; after the 'B' flight attendant reported the odor to the flight deck; I reported it also. The odd fume went away about thirty minutes after reporting the issue to the captain. In the last hour of the flight I started feeling abnormal. I had a pounding headache; felt dizzy; fatigue and weakness in the legs; my stomach becoming tight and upset; I felt shortness in breath and chest pain; and it felt like day two of a very bad 'flu-like' bug in less than an hour. I immediately reported the issue to the captain; and when we landed I called crew service center about the issue; and discussed the injury with my flight service manager. Due to this injury I could not perform my core duties; specifically evacuations or announcements. I confirmed the same symptoms with my flight attendant crew members and we went to the emergency room for immediate treatment at the hospital. Based on what happened to me and the test results I feel this is chemical fume injury in carbon fume family; specifically carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a by-product of the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing materials. Aviation fuel contains carbon and is a ready source of carbon monoxide when burned. Carbon monoxide is truly a hidden menace because by itself; it is both a colorless and odorless gas. An individual would not be aware of its presence until symptoms developed; or during treatment it was determined exposure had occurred. The least desirable situation would be incapacitation. The true problem comes when exposure is so gradual that you don't perceive it. We perceived fume; reported the issue; and are now injured.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 Flight Attendant reported that cabin fumes became unbearable during the flight; resulting in illness.

Narrative: I smelt odd fumes for about twenty to thirty minutes and also after confirming the smell with the other working flight attendants; after the 'B' flight attendant reported the odor to the flight deck; I reported it also. The odd fume went away about thirty minutes after reporting the issue to the captain. In the last hour of the flight I started feeling abnormal. I had a pounding headache; felt dizzy; fatigue and weakness in the legs; my stomach becoming tight and upset; I felt shortness in breath and chest pain; and it felt like day two of a very bad 'flu-like' bug in less than an hour. I immediately reported the issue to the captain; and when we landed I called crew service center about the issue; and discussed the injury with my flight service manager. Due to this injury I could not perform my core duties; specifically evacuations or announcements. I confirmed the same symptoms with my flight attendant crew members and we went to the emergency room for immediate treatment at the hospital. Based on what happened to me and the test results I feel this is chemical fume injury in carbon fume family; specifically carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a by-product of the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing materials. Aviation fuel contains carbon and is a ready source of carbon monoxide when burned. Carbon monoxide is truly a hidden menace because by itself; it is both a colorless and odorless gas. An individual would not be aware of its presence until symptoms developed; or during treatment it was determined exposure had occurred. The least desirable situation would be incapacitation. The true problem comes when exposure is so gradual that you don't perceive it. We perceived fume; reported the issue; and are now injured.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.