Narrative:

1 hour out, the #2 cabin attendant was in the lower lobe galley. She complained of dizziness and nausea. She took oxygen after returning upstairs. The so then went down to galley. He opened a door of cargo compartment, he was overtaken by vapors. He immediately returned upstairs to take oxygen. We landed the plane in tampa. Passenger exited the plane normally. The firemen and bio-hazard people met the plane. After hours of investigation, the bio-hazard crew discovered empty containers in cargo. The containers at one time contained a very strong chemical which had leaked. The vapors were so strong the bio-hazard crew said the containers housing the vapors were 30% combustible. Our company made no mention of this to the flight crew. (Before we landed the plane I was experiencing dizziness and my throat was very numb.) callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter is a cabin attendant on a DC10-10 for an air carrier. He said that he has recovered from the exposure to the chemical fumes. But, although the company freight representatives admitted that the fumes were hazardous, both irritating and flammable, they would not tell him the name of the chemical. The reporter said that he concluded that the containers were accepted with the understanding that they were completely empty, ie, with no residue. He does not think that they would have been accepted for shipping on a passenger flight if they had been full. He said that the representative was both defensive and apologetic. All of the cabin attendants that were exposed to the fumes were treated at hospitals with follow-up treatment by medical personnel for those who needed it. The reporter said that his doctor cleared him for return to duty after treating him for an allergic reaction.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SEVERAL CABIN ATTENDANTS ON AN ACR DC10 WERE EXPOSED TO CHEMICAL FUMES IN THE LOWER GALLEY AREA. THE FUMES, APPARENTLY, CAME FROM SUPPOSEDLY EMPTY CONTAINERS THAT WERE BEING SHIPPED IN THE FORWARD CARGO COMPARTMENT.

Narrative: 1 HR OUT, THE #2 CABIN ATTENDANT WAS IN THE LOWER LOBE GALLEY. SHE COMPLAINED OF DIZZINESS AND NAUSEA. SHE TOOK OXYGEN AFTER RETURNING UPSTAIRS. THE SO THEN WENT DOWN TO GALLEY. HE OPENED A DOOR OF CARGO COMPARTMENT, HE WAS OVERTAKEN BY VAPORS. HE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED UPSTAIRS TO TAKE OXYGEN. WE LANDED THE PLANE IN TAMPA. PAX EXITED THE PLANE NORMALLY. THE FIREMEN AND BIO-HAZARD PEOPLE MET THE PLANE. AFTER HRS OF INVESTIGATION, THE BIO-HAZARD CREW DISCOVERED EMPTY CONTAINERS IN CARGO. THE CONTAINERS AT ONE TIME CONTAINED A VERY STRONG CHEMICAL WHICH HAD LEAKED. THE VAPORS WERE SO STRONG THE BIO-HAZARD CREW SAID THE CONTAINERS HOUSING THE VAPORS WERE 30% COMBUSTIBLE. OUR COMPANY MADE NO MENTION OF THIS TO THE FLC. (BEFORE WE LANDED THE PLANE I WAS EXPERIENCING DIZZINESS AND MY THROAT WAS VERY NUMB.) CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS A CABIN ATTENDANT ON A DC10-10 FOR AN ACR. HE SAID THAT HE HAS RECOVERED FROM THE EXPOSURE TO THE CHEMICAL FUMES. BUT, ALTHOUGH THE COMPANY FREIGHT REPRESENTATIVES ADMITTED THAT THE FUMES WERE HAZARDOUS, BOTH IRRITATING AND FLAMMABLE, THEY WOULD NOT TELL HIM THE NAME OF THE CHEMICAL. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE CONCLUDED THAT THE CONTAINERS WERE ACCEPTED WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY WERE COMPLETELY EMPTY, IE, WITH NO RESIDUE. HE DOES NOT THINK THAT THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED FOR SHIPPING ON A PAX FLT IF THEY HAD BEEN FULL. HE SAID THAT THE REPRESENTATIVE WAS BOTH DEFENSIVE AND APOLOGETIC. ALL OF THE CABIN ATTENDANTS THAT WERE EXPOSED TO THE FUMES WERE TREATED AT HOSPITALS WITH FOLLOW-UP TREATMENT BY MEDICAL PERSONNEL FOR THOSE WHO NEEDED IT. THE RPTR SAID THAT HIS DOCTOR CLRED HIM FOR RETURN TO DUTY AFTER TREATING HIM FOR AN ALLERGIC REACTION.

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.