Narrative:

The captain announces the cabin would be sprayed with a pesticide and the passengers and new members would be provided wet cloths to cover their faces with. The cabin was sprayed by crew members. I was nervous. I didn't spray any one. I went into the lav and could smell the spray. Just prior to leaving ZZZ on 5/01, I awoke at xa:00 with a runny nose and my throat was sore and hurting. After serving the passenger their first meal. I then went to the cockpit. I felt if I could breath some of their air I would be feeling better. I remember a doctor approaching me and I sat down. My memory is not good. I must have passed out the paramedics cut my dress off me my chest was hurting. I woke up in the hospital. The nurse told me, the medics thought they were going to lose me, but I don't remember the drive in the ambulance to the hospital. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated, normally the aircraft is treated with the pesticide while in a hangar, with plenty of ventilation, 2 to 3 hours prior to being flown. However, prior to this particular flight spiders and roaches were discovered on board the aircraft, with no time to spray before departure. Instead, the pesticide was sprayed throughout the aircraft, by the flight attendants, using aerosol spray cans, approximately one hour prior to landing, exposing not only themselves to the pesticide but the passengers as well. At completion, a logbook entry was made to validate the spraying. The reporter also stated, although this was her first flight in which the flight attendants actually participated in the pesticide spraying, she has flown on aircraft in the past that were pesticide treated, citing a flight in 1998, when she suffered symptoms similar to a viral infection. Stating her experiences are not unique, she reports other flight attendants have also had adverse reactions as well, ranging from sore throats, runny noses, and nausea to nose bleeds. Concerning the obvious precautions that need to be observed when using these pesticides, the reporter emphasized that her employer did not provide training of any kind regarding the safety hazards associated with the pesticides used.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A FA ON A B747, EXPERIENCED ILLNESS AFTER ACFT WAS SPRAYED WITH A PESTICIDE.

Narrative: THE CAPT ANNOUNCES THE CABIN WOULD BE SPRAYED WITH A PESTICIDE AND THE PASSENGERS AND NEW MEMBERS WOULD BE PROVIDED WET CLOTHS TO COVER THEIR FACES WITH. THE CABIN WAS SPRAYED BY CREW MEMBERS. I WAS NERVOUS. I DIDN'T SPRAY ANY ONE. I WENT INTO THE LAV AND COULD SMELL THE SPRAY. JUST PRIOR TO LEAVING ZZZ ON 5/01, I AWOKE AT XA:00 WITH A RUNNY NOSE AND MY THROAT WAS SORE AND HURTING. AFTER SERVING THE PAX THEIR FIRST MEAL. I THEN WENT TO THE COCKPIT. I FELT IF I COULD BREATH SOME OF THEIR AIR I WOULD BE FEELING BETTER. I REMEMBER A DOCTOR APCHING ME AND I SAT DOWN. MY MEMORY IS NOT GOOD. I MUST HAVE PASSED OUT THE PARAMEDICS CUT MY DRESS OFF ME MY CHEST WAS HURTING. I WOKE UP IN THE HOSPITAL. THE NURSE TOLD ME, THE MEDICS THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO LOSE ME, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER THE DRIVE IN THE AMBULANCE TO THE HOSPITAL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED, NORMALLY THE ACFT IS TREATED WITH THE PESTICIDE WHILE IN A HANGAR, WITH PLENTY OF VENTILATION, 2 TO 3 HRS PRIOR TO BEING FLOWN. HOWEVER, PRIOR TO THIS PARTICULAR FLT SPIDERS AND ROACHES WERE DISCOVERED ON BOARD THE ACFT, WITH NO TIME TO SPRAY BEFORE DEPARTURE. INSTEAD, THE PESTICIDE WAS SPRAYED THROUGHOUT THE ACFT, BY THE FLT ATTENDANTS, USING AEROSOL SPRAY CANS, APPROX ONE HR PRIOR TO LNDG, EXPOSING NOT ONLY THEMSELVES TO THE PESTICIDE BUT THE PASSENGERS AS WELL. AT COMPLETION, A LOGBOOK ENTRY WAS MADE TO VALIDATE THE SPRAYING. THE RPTR ALSO STATED, ALTHOUGH THIS WAS HER FIRST FLT IN WHICH THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ACTUALLY PARTICIPATED IN THE PESTICIDE SPRAYING, SHE HAS FLOWN ON ACFT IN THE PAST THAT WERE PESTICIDE TREATED, CITING A FLT IN 1998, WHEN SHE SUFFERED SYMPTOMS SIMILAR TO A VIRAL INFECTION. STATING HER EXPERIENCES ARE NOT UNIQUE, SHE RPTS OTHER FLIGHT ATTENDANTS HAVE ALSO HAD ADVERSE REACTIONS AS WELL, RANGING FROM SORE THROATS, RUNNY NOSES, AND NAUSEA TO NOSE BLEEDS. CONCERNING THE OBVIOUS PRECAUTIONS THAT NEED TO BE OBSERVED WHEN USING THESE PESTICIDES, THE RPTR EMPHASIZED THAT HER EMPLOYER DID NOT PROVIDE TRAINING OF ANY KIND REGARDING THE SAFETY HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PESTICIDES USED.

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.