A B717 pilot complains that flight attendants use an air freshener on the forward lav that may be ha...

Narrative:

Flight attendants are bringing and using hazmat on board the airplanes every day. Flight attendants are bringing cans of spray air freshener onto the plane every day. When the forward lav smells the flight attendants spray half a can of air freshener into the lav. Thanks to the air routing on the B717 the original smell is routed directly into the cockpit; followed by gas clouds the flight attendant sprayed. Being in the cockpit is like being sprayed directly in the face with the spray. It makes your eyes and nose burn. It takes me days to recover from a flight attendant spray attack. It happens at least once a week. Telling the flight attendants 'don't spray anything in the lav in-flight' doesn't work. They do it anyway. Each week I am blinded and gassed at least once. Any group of flight attendants will have at least 1 can of spray. Air freshener is hazmat. It can be carried in checked luggage. It cannot be carried in the cabin. This is in the fom. The company is not enforcing its own hazmat policy. Air freshener is flammable. It is stupid to think that filling the lav with flammable gas is a good thing to do. The flight attendants should not be blinding the pilots in flight. If one of the customers brought a flammable hazmat aboard the airplane and used it to gas the pilots they would be arrested. My coworkers do it once a week. This has to be stopped.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B717 PILOT COMPLAINS THAT FLIGHT ATTENDANTS USE AN AIR FRESHENER ON THE FORWARD LAV THAT MAY BE HAZMAT. THE CHEMICAL SPRAY IN THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM ENTERS THE FLIGHT STATION CAUSING PILOTS PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT.

Narrative: FLT ATTENDANTS ARE BRINGING AND USING HAZMAT ON BOARD THE AIRPLANES EVERY DAY. FLT ATTENDANTS ARE BRINGING CANS OF SPRAY AIR FRESHENER ONTO THE PLANE EVERY DAY. WHEN THE FORWARD LAV SMELLS THE FLT ATTENDANTS SPRAY HALF A CAN OF AIR FRESHENER INTO THE LAV. THANKS TO THE AIR ROUTING ON THE B717 THE ORIGINAL SMELL IS ROUTED DIRECTLY INTO THE COCKPIT; FOLLOWED BY GAS CLOUDS THE FLT ATTENDANT SPRAYED. BEING IN THE COCKPIT IS LIKE BEING SPRAYED DIRECTLY IN THE FACE WITH THE SPRAY. IT MAKES YOUR EYES AND NOSE BURN. IT TAKES ME DAYS TO RECOVER FROM A FLT ATTENDANT SPRAY ATTACK. IT HAPPENS AT LEAST ONCE A WK. TELLING THE FLT ATTENDANTS 'DON'T SPRAY ANYTHING IN THE LAV INFLT' DOESN'T WORK. THEY DO IT ANYWAY. EACH WK I AM BLINDED AND GASSED AT LEAST ONCE. ANY GROUP OF FLT ATTENDANTS WILL HAVE AT LEAST 1 CAN OF SPRAY. AIR FRESHENER IS HAZMAT. IT CAN BE CARRIED IN CHKED LUGGAGE. IT CANNOT BE CARRIED IN THE CABIN. THIS IS IN THE FOM. THE COMPANY IS NOT ENFORCING ITS OWN HAZMAT POLICY. AIR FRESHENER IS FLAMMABLE. IT IS STUPID TO THINK THAT FILLING THE LAV WITH FLAMMABLE GAS IS A GOOD THING TO DO. THE FLT ATTENDANTS SHOULD NOT BE BLINDING THE PLTS IN FLT. IF ONE OF THE CUSTOMERS BROUGHT A FLAMMABLE HAZMAT ABOARD THE AIRPLANE AND USED IT TO GAS THE PLTS THEY WOULD BE ARRESTED. MY COWORKERS DO IT ONCE A WK. THIS HAS TO BE STOPPED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.

Attributes
ACN	815081
Time
Date	200812
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B717 (Formerly MD-95)
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	815081
Events
Anomaly	cabin event other non adherence : far non adherence : company policies other anomaly other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Company Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft Cabin Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Cabin Crew Human Performance

A B717 pilot complains that flight attendants use an air freshener on the forward lav that may be hazmat. The chemical spray in the air conditioning system enters the flight station causing pilots physical discomfort.