Narrative:

Flight scheduled from yyz to ord, pushed back on time, however incurred a 1/2 hour delay due to being 10TH in line for takeoff. It was at this time, while sitting on runway, I noticed a strong odor in the cabin, sweet, not offensive, but odd. First thought was fuel fumes from aircraft in front of us, however once we were airborne the smell persisted. Other flight attendants noticed it and we reported it to cockpit. First officer came back and confirmed but couldn't locate the source. It appeared to be stronger in aft section, aft galley area. Checked all overhead bins for possible leaking baggage -- nothing found. All passenger in aft 1/3 of cabin were asleep and captain became suspect of situation. Requested preferential landing in ord, made announcement to passenger and prepared for immediate landing. At this point I felt very 'spacey,' light headed and felt it uncomfortable to take deep breaths. My eyes were red and my sinuses felt stuffy. We landed without incident and once we taxied to the gate, passenger deplaned without question. The aircraft was taken OTS and we reported to the manager on duty at ord flight operations. She removed us from our remaining sequence and had us taken to the hospital. We were treated with 100% oxygen for approximately 1 hour and released to return home and seek medical attention. I have attempted to find what the aircraft was 'diagnosed' with through our union, but have been unsuccessful obtaining information. I am currently still off work due to strong headaches and sinus inflammation. I would appreciate any information regarding the situation and this particular aircraft. We were diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning, however there are 3 or 4 different types of toxic substances that are possibly responsible. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that she was off work for 2 1/2 weeks. During this time she attempted, through the company, to get information related to the event. She pretty much received a run- around on getting this information. She was at first told by a person in operations that 'there was nothing wrong with the airplane.' she was finally given a number to call which turned out to be a 'dead number.' she then flew a 3-DAY trip and had the captain pull up the aircraft number and get the aircraft's maintenance history. There was a write up 5 days prior to her event where the first officer on the walkaround inspection found an engine fuel leak, then her incident and then, 14 days later, the same type incident occurred again. She has called her union regarding this incident and the hiding of information with no help. She was advised by another pilot that there are 4 substances that would create a level of toxicity similar to hers. Skydrol, jet fuel, engine lubricating oil and aircraft air conditioning compressor lubricating oil. They had had a 4 hour exposure to this unknown substance. During the flight, the reporter noted one lady's head tilted out over the aisle. The flight attendant was 'so out of it' that she simply walked by the woman and pushed her into a more upright position, not even thinking that she was 'out' instead of 'asleep.' all 34 passenger were 'asleep.' the captain had asked the attendants if they wanted to divert to dtw on the way to ord and everyone said 'press on.' when deplaning the agents were assisting the crew members but not a one asked any of the passenger if they needed any assistance. She did not have a blood toxemia test done as it is performed through the artery and the doctor did not want to do that, nor did she. She was 'dead headed' back to home base 1ST class, positive space, unusual. She also received flowers at home, unusual again. The cockpit crew proceeded directly to their domicile in sfo where they saw their personal physicians.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CABIN ATTENDANT RPT ON POSSIBLE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING ON AN S80 FROM YYZ TO ORD. SUBTLE, '...SWEET, NOT OFFENSIVE...' FUMES WERE NOTICED PRIOR TO TKOF AND DURING CRUISE AND SUBSEQUENT PRIORITY LNDG AT ORD. CREW WAS TREATED AT A LCL HOSPITAL.

Narrative: FLT SCHEDULED FROM YYZ TO ORD, PUSHED BACK ON TIME, HOWEVER INCURRED A 1/2 HR DELAY DUE TO BEING 10TH IN LINE FOR TKOF. IT WAS AT THIS TIME, WHILE SITTING ON RWY, I NOTICED A STRONG ODOR IN THE CABIN, SWEET, NOT OFFENSIVE, BUT ODD. FIRST THOUGHT WAS FUEL FUMES FROM ACFT IN FRONT OF US, HOWEVER ONCE WE WERE AIRBORNE THE SMELL PERSISTED. OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS NOTICED IT AND WE RPTED IT TO COCKPIT. FO CAME BACK AND CONFIRMED BUT COULDN'T LOCATE THE SOURCE. IT APPEARED TO BE STRONGER IN AFT SECTION, AFT GALLEY AREA. CHKED ALL OVERHEAD BINS FOR POSSIBLE LEAKING BAGGAGE -- NOTHING FOUND. ALL PAX IN AFT 1/3 OF CABIN WERE ASLEEP AND CAPT BECAME SUSPECT OF SIT. REQUESTED PREFERENTIAL LNDG IN ORD, MADE ANNOUNCEMENT TO PAX AND PREPARED FOR IMMEDIATE LNDG. AT THIS POINT I FELT VERY 'SPACEY,' LIGHT HEADED AND FELT IT UNCOMFORTABLE TO TAKE DEEP BREATHS. MY EYES WERE RED AND MY SINUSES FELT STUFFY. WE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND ONCE WE TAXIED TO THE GATE, PAX DEPLANED WITHOUT QUESTION. THE ACFT WAS TAKEN OTS AND WE RPTED TO THE MGR ON DUTY AT ORD FLT OPS. SHE REMOVED US FROM OUR REMAINING SEQUENCE AND HAD US TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. WE WERE TREATED WITH 100% OXYGEN FOR APPROX 1 HR AND RELEASED TO RETURN HOME AND SEEK MEDICAL ATTN. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO FIND WHAT THE ACFT WAS 'DIAGNOSED' WITH THROUGH OUR UNION, BUT HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL OBTAINING INFO. I AM CURRENTLY STILL OFF WORK DUE TO STRONG HEADACHES AND SINUS INFLAMMATION. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY INFO REGARDING THE SIT AND THIS PARTICULAR ACFT. WE WERE DIAGNOSED WITH CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING, HOWEVER THERE ARE 3 OR 4 DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOXIC SUBSTANCES THAT ARE POSSIBLY RESPONSIBLE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT SHE WAS OFF WORK FOR 2 1/2 WKS. DURING THIS TIME SHE ATTEMPTED, THROUGH THE COMPANY, TO GET INFO RELATED TO THE EVENT. SHE PRETTY MUCH RECEIVED A RUN- AROUND ON GETTING THIS INFO. SHE WAS AT FIRST TOLD BY A PERSON IN OPS THAT 'THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE AIRPLANE.' SHE WAS FINALLY GIVEN A NUMBER TO CALL WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE A 'DEAD NUMBER.' SHE THEN FLEW A 3-DAY TRIP AND HAD THE CAPT PULL UP THE ACFT NUMBER AND GET THE ACFT'S MAINT HISTORY. THERE WAS A WRITE UP 5 DAYS PRIOR TO HER EVENT WHERE THE FO ON THE WALKAROUND INSPECTION FOUND AN ENG FUEL LEAK, THEN HER INCIDENT AND THEN, 14 DAYS LATER, THE SAME TYPE INCIDENT OCCURRED AGAIN. SHE HAS CALLED HER UNION REGARDING THIS INCIDENT AND THE HIDING OF INFO WITH NO HELP. SHE WAS ADVISED BY ANOTHER PLT THAT THERE ARE 4 SUBSTANCES THAT WOULD CREATE A LEVEL OF TOXICITY SIMILAR TO HERS. SKYDROL, JET FUEL, ENG LUBRICATING OIL AND ACFT AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR LUBRICATING OIL. THEY HAD HAD A 4 HR EXPOSURE TO THIS UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE. DURING THE FLT, THE RPTR NOTED ONE LADY'S HEAD TILTED OUT OVER THE AISLE. THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS 'SO OUT OF IT' THAT SHE SIMPLY WALKED BY THE WOMAN AND PUSHED HER INTO A MORE UPRIGHT POS, NOT EVEN THINKING THAT SHE WAS 'OUT' INSTEAD OF 'ASLEEP.' ALL 34 PAX WERE 'ASLEEP.' THE CAPT HAD ASKED THE ATTENDANTS IF THEY WANTED TO DIVERT TO DTW ON THE WAY TO ORD AND EVERYONE SAID 'PRESS ON.' WHEN DEPLANING THE AGENTS WERE ASSISTING THE CREW MEMBERS BUT NOT A ONE ASKED ANY OF THE PAX IF THEY NEEDED ANY ASSISTANCE. SHE DID NOT HAVE A BLOOD TOXEMIA TEST DONE AS IT IS PERFORMED THROUGH THE ARTERY AND THE DOCTOR DID NOT WANT TO DO THAT, NOR DID SHE. SHE WAS 'DEAD HEADED' BACK TO HOME BASE 1ST CLASS, POSITIVE SPACE, UNUSUAL. SHE ALSO RECEIVED FLOWERS AT HOME, UNUSUAL AGAIN. THE COCKPIT CREW PROCEEDED DIRECTLY TO THEIR DOMICILE IN SFO WHERE THEY SAW THEIR PERSONAL PHYSICIANS.

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.