Narrative:

While flying the leg (me -- first officer) into sdf, I smelled an odor like turpentine. Queried crew and they indicated that at the time (1 mi on final) they couldn't smell a thing. After landing and while taxiing on the parking ramp, I queried the crew a second time and then they agreed with me that a strong odor like turpentine was present. After parking and while waiting for more than 3 mins for the ground crew to plug the APU and bring the stairs up to the airplane (so we could open the cabin door) I used the oxygen mask for about 30 seconds which didn't help, so I opened the window on my side and stuck my head outside to get some 'fresh' air. After finishing all normal checklists after engine shutdown, I complained (inside and out of the airplane) that I was feeling dizzy and sick. No one made an effort to help me. The captain and flight engineer were too busy trying to get to the parking lot since it was their last day of flying and were going on days off. No logbook entry was made by the captain and this is required by our fom. I stayed in the operations room by myself trying to gain information on what substance we had been exposed to. The only thing I could get was that it was shipped from sweden and that I would be informed on what exactly it was in less than 4 hours. 36 hours later I found out it was xylene. I went to the emergency center and they found that my liver is showing signs of overworking due to the xylene. I have severe headaches since this happened (with no fever). The x-rays of my lungs show that there's no damage. The company should (and the captain, too) followed this more closely. I could have fainted in the operations room and no one would have noticed or known why. Not one person followed the procedures set on the fom. Was this hazmat recorded as such before it got into the airplane? We are having lots of problems like this on the airline. Something is going to happen soon if the company doesn't take the necessary steps to ensure crew safety with hazmats. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter first officer has had no relapse or further complications as a result of breathing the fumes from the xylene spill. He is due to go in for another blood test, however. Reporter says that though the hazmat was listed on the manifest it wasn't in the container as shown on the manifest and he claims that it is very common in his company to have hazmat containers mislabeled. Also, the reason for the spill was careless packaging and loading. Reporter says he had excruciating headaches for days after the event and that he called the company workmen's comp, though he didn't say that he was on workmen's comp. Reporter was particularly upset that the other crew members paid no attention to his health complaints and were more anxious to get to their cars so they could go home than concerned for his well being. He believes that further incidents are inevitable unless greater attention and training is paid to the packaging, loading and storage of hazmat. Reporter was advised that ASRS has no authority/authorized to identify his company nor bring their attention to the potentially hazardous situation and that perhaps the FAA hotline would be a better source for action. That number was given to the reporter.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DC8 CARGO ACFT WITH HAZMAT IN CABIN HAD HAZMAT SPILL OF XYLENE WHEN ON APCH AND LNDG. RPTR FO STATES THAT HE WAS DIZZY AND SICK FROM THE ODOR, BUT COULDN'T FIND OUT WHAT THE MATERIAL WAS FOR 36 HRS. HE THEN WENT TO THE EMER CTR AT A HOSPITAL WHERE THEY TOLD HIM HIS LIVER SHOWED SIGNS OF OVERWORKING. HE ALSO SAYS HE SUFFERED FROM SEVERE HEADACHES. THE CAPT AND FO WERE IN A HURRY TO GET HOME SO THEY LEFT THE AREA IMMEDIATELY AND RPTR DIDN'T KNOW IF THEY HAD ANY EFFECTS.

Narrative: WHILE FLYING THE LEG (ME -- FO) INTO SDF, I SMELLED AN ODOR LIKE TURPENTINE. QUERIED CREW AND THEY INDICATED THAT AT THE TIME (1 MI ON FINAL) THEY COULDN'T SMELL A THING. AFTER LNDG AND WHILE TAXIING ON THE PARKING RAMP, I QUERIED THE CREW A SECOND TIME AND THEN THEY AGREED WITH ME THAT A STRONG ODOR LIKE TURPENTINE WAS PRESENT. AFTER PARKING AND WHILE WAITING FOR MORE THAN 3 MINS FOR THE GND CREW TO PLUG THE APU AND BRING THE STAIRS UP TO THE AIRPLANE (SO WE COULD OPEN THE CABIN DOOR) I USED THE OXYGEN MASK FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS WHICH DIDN'T HELP, SO I OPENED THE WINDOW ON MY SIDE AND STUCK MY HEAD OUTSIDE TO GET SOME 'FRESH' AIR. AFTER FINISHING ALL NORMAL CHKLISTS AFTER ENG SHUTDOWN, I COMPLAINED (INSIDE AND OUT OF THE AIRPLANE) THAT I WAS FEELING DIZZY AND SICK. NO ONE MADE AN EFFORT TO HELP ME. THE CAPT AND FE WERE TOO BUSY TRYING TO GET TO THE PARKING LOT SINCE IT WAS THEIR LAST DAY OF FLYING AND WERE GOING ON DAYS OFF. NO LOGBOOK ENTRY WAS MADE BY THE CAPT AND THIS IS REQUIRED BY OUR FOM. I STAYED IN THE OPS ROOM BY MYSELF TRYING TO GAIN INFO ON WHAT SUBSTANCE WE HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO. THE ONLY THING I COULD GET WAS THAT IT WAS SHIPPED FROM SWEDEN AND THAT I WOULD BE INFORMED ON WHAT EXACTLY IT WAS IN LESS THAN 4 HRS. 36 HRS LATER I FOUND OUT IT WAS XYLENE. I WENT TO THE EMER CTR AND THEY FOUND THAT MY LIVER IS SHOWING SIGNS OF OVERWORKING DUE TO THE XYLENE. I HAVE SEVERE HEADACHES SINCE THIS HAPPENED (WITH NO FEVER). THE X-RAYS OF MY LUNGS SHOW THAT THERE'S NO DAMAGE. THE COMPANY SHOULD (AND THE CAPT, TOO) FOLLOWED THIS MORE CLOSELY. I COULD HAVE FAINTED IN THE OPS ROOM AND NO ONE WOULD HAVE NOTICED OR KNOWN WHY. NOT ONE PERSON FOLLOWED THE PROCS SET ON THE FOM. WAS THIS HAZMAT RECORDED AS SUCH BEFORE IT GOT INTO THE AIRPLANE? WE ARE HAVING LOTS OF PROBS LIKE THIS ON THE AIRLINE. SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN SOON IF THE COMPANY DOESN'T TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO ENSURE CREW SAFETY WITH HAZMATS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR FO HAS HAD NO RELAPSE OR FURTHER COMPLICATIONS AS A RESULT OF BREATHING THE FUMES FROM THE XYLENE SPILL. HE IS DUE TO GO IN FOR ANOTHER BLOOD TEST, HOWEVER. RPTR SAYS THAT THOUGH THE HAZMAT WAS LISTED ON THE MANIFEST IT WASN'T IN THE CONTAINER AS SHOWN ON THE MANIFEST AND HE CLAIMS THAT IT IS VERY COMMON IN HIS COMPANY TO HAVE HAZMAT CONTAINERS MISLABELED. ALSO, THE REASON FOR THE SPILL WAS CARELESS PACKAGING AND LOADING. RPTR SAYS HE HAD EXCRUCIATING HEADACHES FOR DAYS AFTER THE EVENT AND THAT HE CALLED THE COMPANY WORKMEN'S COMP, THOUGH HE DIDN'T SAY THAT HE WAS ON WORKMEN'S COMP. RPTR WAS PARTICULARLY UPSET THAT THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS PAID NO ATTN TO HIS HEALTH COMPLAINTS AND WERE MORE ANXIOUS TO GET TO THEIR CARS SO THEY COULD GO HOME THAN CONCERNED FOR HIS WELL BEING. HE BELIEVES THAT FURTHER INCIDENTS ARE INEVITABLE UNLESS GREATER ATTN AND TRAINING IS PAID TO THE PACKAGING, LOADING AND STORAGE OF HAZMAT. RPTR WAS ADVISED THAT ASRS HAS NO AUTH TO IDENT HIS COMPANY NOR BRING THEIR ATTN TO THE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS SIT AND THAT PERHAPS THE FAA HOTLINE WOULD BE A BETTER SOURCE FOR ACTION. THAT NUMBER WAS GIVEN TO THE RPTR.

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.