Narrative:

Approximately 40 mins prior to arrival at ebbr, the rain repellant canister discharged fluid into cockpit primarily onto first officer's radar, flight case area and on right side of cockpit. A small amount of fluid was sprayed onto first officer's leg. The first officer washed off fluid with no further side effects. The crew donned oxygen masks and we descended to 25000 ft and raised cabin altitude to defuse fumes. I took a closer look at canister to determine cause of leak. There was a pool of fluid on the floor and fluid dripping from the fitting on the bottom of the can. Approximately 1/5 of the fluid had discharged into cockpit. The first officer discharged the remainder of fluid overboard. I went to the back of aircraft and got a handful of tissues to blot up fluid on cockpit floor. I also opened cockpit door to further diffuse noxious fumes in cockpit. I called our operations (brussels flight watch) to notify them of our exposure to the substance and our crew action taken. I requested flight watch to relay our message to our maintenance department and requested any further information on any special concerns, side effects or further precautions that our crew should be made aware of. Operations asked if we felt ok to continue or if we needed to divert. We responded that we were ok to continue to ebbr. We were then informed that the rain repellant was alcohol based and to don our oxygen masks and land. We were also advised that our medical department would meet us upon arrival. The crew met the air carrier staff nurse and a local brussels private physician. We stated that we were ok at the time. We reviewed the repellent specification sheet that was faxed to ebbr. I informed the doctor and nurse that I felt light headed from fumes and, when I went to inspect the canister to determine problem, the fumes burned my eyes. The doctor advised us, if we experienced any further side effects, we could have blood tests taken to determine if any residual toxins remained in body. Later that evening, I developed a deep cough and experienced a nose bleed for 2 days. As time passed, my cough became continuous and severe with breathing restrs at times. One of our capts highly recommended that I see a doctor and contact pilot union aeromedical division immediately. This captain mentioned that he knew of other airline crews that experienced this event with much more serious side effects and a long recovery time. I contacted union aeromedical and spoke with their medical and engineering staff. They recommended that the crew submit a NASA report. I saw my doctor on jan/tue/95 and had a chest x-ray and pulmonary test taken. Initial pulmonary results were marginal. I was prescribed medication on an as needed basis and was released to work with restrs of not being further exposed to this chemical. A subsequent follow-up doctors appointment proved satisfactory pulmonary results. I have one more follow-up visit in march. Recommendation for corrective action: temporary: issue safety directive on contents and seriousness of exposure to chemical along with recommendations of actions taken if exposed to chemical in-flight. Permanent: remove rain repellant canister from cockpit and relocate to another area so that if a canister inadvertently ruptures, the crew is not exposed to a potentially life threatening situation. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter is a so for an air carrier flying the b- 747 on worldwide rtes. She has not missed any work over this incident and believes that the other crewmen did not miss any work either. The other crewmen may have sent in a report to the ASRS. The other crewmen were less affected than the reporter. The reporter will have one more follow-up with her doctor soon. The oxygen lasted only about 10 mins until the first officer started to choke. The reporter believes that the oxygen bottle was full. She is quite concerned that crewpersons know so little about this toxic substance in the cockpit. The reporter had to apply for workman's compensation to cover her medical bills.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RAIN REPELLENT LEAK INTO COCKPIT.

Narrative: APPROX 40 MINS PRIOR TO ARR AT EBBR, THE RAIN REPELLANT CANISTER DISCHARGED FLUID INTO COCKPIT PRIMARILY ONTO FO'S RADAR, FLT CASE AREA AND ON R SIDE OF COCKPIT. A SMALL AMOUNT OF FLUID WAS SPRAYED ONTO FO'S LEG. THE FO WASHED OFF FLUID WITH NO FURTHER SIDE EFFECTS. THE CREW DONNED OXYGEN MASKS AND WE DSNDED TO 25000 FT AND RAISED CABIN ALT TO DEFUSE FUMES. I TOOK A CLOSER LOOK AT CANISTER TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF LEAK. THERE WAS A POOL OF FLUID ON THE FLOOR AND FLUID DRIPPING FROM THE FITTING ON THE BOTTOM OF THE CAN. APPROX 1/5 OF THE FLUID HAD DISCHARGED INTO COCKPIT. THE FO DISCHARGED THE REMAINDER OF FLUID OVERBOARD. I WENT TO THE BACK OF ACFT AND GOT A HANDFUL OF TISSUES TO BLOT UP FLUID ON COCKPIT FLOOR. I ALSO OPENED COCKPIT DOOR TO FURTHER DIFFUSE NOXIOUS FUMES IN COCKPIT. I CALLED OUR OPS (BRUSSELS FLT WATCH) TO NOTIFY THEM OF OUR EXPOSURE TO THE SUBSTANCE AND OUR CREW ACTION TAKEN. I REQUESTED FLT WATCH TO RELAY OUR MESSAGE TO OUR MAINT DEPT AND REQUESTED ANY FURTHER INFO ON ANY SPECIAL CONCERNS, SIDE EFFECTS OR FURTHER PRECAUTIONS THAT OUR CREW SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF. OPS ASKED IF WE FELT OK TO CONTINUE OR IF WE NEEDED TO DIVERT. WE RESPONDED THAT WE WERE OK TO CONTINUE TO EBBR. WE WERE THEN INFORMED THAT THE RAIN REPELLANT WAS ALCOHOL BASED AND TO DON OUR OXYGEN MASKS AND LAND. WE WERE ALSO ADVISED THAT OUR MEDICAL DEPT WOULD MEET US UPON ARR. THE CREW MET THE ACR STAFF NURSE AND A LCL BRUSSELS PVT PHYSICIAN. WE STATED THAT WE WERE OK AT THE TIME. WE REVIEWED THE REPELLENT SPEC SHEET THAT WAS FAXED TO EBBR. I INFORMED THE DOCTOR AND NURSE THAT I FELT LIGHT HEADED FROM FUMES AND, WHEN I WENT TO INSPECT THE CANISTER TO DETERMINE PROB, THE FUMES BURNED MY EYES. THE DOCTOR ADVISED US, IF WE EXPERIENCED ANY FURTHER SIDE EFFECTS, WE COULD HAVE BLOOD TESTS TAKEN TO DETERMINE IF ANY RESIDUAL TOXINS REMAINED IN BODY. LATER THAT EVENING, I DEVELOPED A DEEP COUGH AND EXPERIENCED A NOSE BLEED FOR 2 DAYS. AS TIME PASSED, MY COUGH BECAME CONTINUOUS AND SEVERE WITH BREATHING RESTRS AT TIMES. ONE OF OUR CAPTS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT I SEE A DOCTOR AND CONTACT PLT UNION AEROMEDICAL DIVISION IMMEDIATELY. THIS CAPT MENTIONED THAT HE KNEW OF OTHER AIRLINE CREWS THAT EXPERIENCED THIS EVENT WITH MUCH MORE SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS AND A LONG RECOVERY TIME. I CONTACTED UNION AEROMEDICAL AND SPOKE WITH THEIR MEDICAL AND ENGINEERING STAFF. THEY RECOMMENDED THAT THE CREW SUBMIT A NASA RPT. I SAW MY DOCTOR ON JAN/TUE/95 AND HAD A CHEST X-RAY AND PULMONARY TEST TAKEN. INITIAL PULMONARY RESULTS WERE MARGINAL. I WAS PRESCRIBED MEDICATION ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS AND WAS RELEASED TO WORK WITH RESTRS OF NOT BEING FURTHER EXPOSED TO THIS CHEMICAL. A SUBSEQUENT FOLLOW-UP DOCTORS APPOINTMENT PROVED SATISFACTORY PULMONARY RESULTS. I HAVE ONE MORE FOLLOW-UP VISIT IN MARCH. RECOMMENDATION FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION: TEMPORARY: ISSUE SAFETY DIRECTIVE ON CONTENTS AND SERIOUSNESS OF EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL ALONG WITH RECOMMENDATIONS OF ACTIONS TAKEN IF EXPOSED TO CHEMICAL INFLT. PERMANENT: REMOVE RAIN REPELLANT CANISTER FROM COCKPIT AND RELOCATE TO ANOTHER AREA SO THAT IF A CANISTER INADVERTENTLY RUPTURES, THE CREW IS NOT EXPOSED TO A POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING SIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS A SO FOR AN ACR FLYING THE B- 747 ON WORLDWIDE RTES. SHE HAS NOT MISSED ANY WORK OVER THIS INCIDENT AND BELIEVES THAT THE OTHER CREWMEN DID NOT MISS ANY WORK EITHER. THE OTHER CREWMEN MAY HAVE SENT IN A RPT TO THE ASRS. THE OTHER CREWMEN WERE LESS AFFECTED THAN THE RPTR. THE RPTR WILL HAVE ONE MORE FOLLOW-UP WITH HER DOCTOR SOON. THE OXYGEN LASTED ONLY ABOUT 10 MINS UNTIL THE FO STARTED TO CHOKE. THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT THE OXYGEN BOTTLE WAS FULL. SHE IS QUITE CONCERNED THAT CREWPERSONS KNOW SO LITTLE ABOUT THIS TOXIC SUBSTANCE IN THE COCKPIT. THE RPTR HAD TO APPLY FOR WORKMAN'S COMPENSATION TO COVER HER MEDICAL BILLS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.