A320 flight attendant reported a 'dirty sock' smell in the rear of the aircraft shortly after takeof...

Narrative:

Twenty seconds after takeoff the B flight attendant in the aft galley called and informed me they were smelling a distinct 'dirty sock' smell that they believed to be toxic fumes. I then called the captain; informing them of what the B flight attendant had just told me. The captain said he would call right back. About a minute later the odor had made its way through to the plane and was present in the front galley where it made me light headed and dizzy with a slight headache. The odor was noticeable to the passengers. I called the aft galley back and they had told me they had donned oxygen. The captain soon called me back and told me we were heading back; that it would not be an emergency landing; and he would make the announcement to the passengers and we should prepare the cabin for landing. At this time said they could also smell the odor. We returned the gate where the aft doors were disarmed and opened due to the discomfort the B/C flight attendants were experiencing. Burning eyes/skin/metal taste/dizziness. The paramedics were called to the aircraft and the flight crew decided to go to the hospital to be checked out and have their blood tested.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 Flight Attendant reported a 'dirty sock' smell in the rear of the aircraft shortly after takeoff. The Captain was informed and the flight returned to the departure airport.

Narrative: Twenty seconds after takeoff the B flight attendant in the AFT galley called and informed me they were smelling a distinct 'dirty sock' smell that they believed to be toxic fumes. I then called the captain; informing them of what the B flight attendant had just told me. The captain said he would call right back. About a minute later the odor had made its way through to the plane and was present in the front galley where it made me light headed and dizzy with a slight headache. The odor was noticeable to the passengers. I called the AFT galley back and they had told me they had donned oxygen. The captain soon called me back and told me we were heading back; that it would not be an emergency landing; and he would make the announcement to the passengers and we should prepare the cabin for landing. At this time said they could also smell the odor. We returned the gate where the AFT doors were disarmed and opened due to the discomfort the B/C flight attendants were experiencing. Burning eyes/skin/metal taste/dizziness. The paramedics were called to the aircraft and the flight crew decided to go to the hospital to be checked out and have their blood tested.

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.

Attributes
ACN	1435678
Time
Date	201703
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	A320
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Initial Climb
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Air Conditioning and Pressurization Pack
Person 1
Function	Flight Attendant In Charge Flight Attendant (On Duty)
Qualification	Flight Attendant Current
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

A320 flight attendant reported a 'dirty sock' smell in the rear of the aircraft shortly after takeoff. The captain was informed and the flight returned to the departure airport.