Narrative:

At altitude the lead flight attendant notified the captain that the other flight attendants were not feeling well. They were by the emergency exit row and said they were feeling light-headed with a pounding headache. The captain spoke with the lead and discussed their condition. He asked the lead about nourishment; rest and ability to continue the flight. They continued to update the captain about their situation and had asked about the cabin pressurization. The captain and I discussed the possible effects of hypoxia but the cabin pressurization was steady at 6;700 ft cabin pressure at FL340. The captain said to descend to FL280 for operational requirements to increase the density of the air. At FL280 the cabin pressure was at 4;800 ft. The lead flight attendant notified the captain that they were feeling better. We discussed the divert requirements and continued to ZZZ1. Upon arriving in ZZZ1 we had maintenance meet us to troubleshoot the problem. The captain made a point to pay particular attention to the passengers as they deplaned. He noticed their cheeks were flushed. After completing my walkaround I noticed that the third flight attendant's complexion was ashen. Maintenance conducted their check and could not duplicate the situation and could not find any leaks. The captain conducted another crew brief and asked the flight attendants to notify him at once if they felt anything resembling what they experienced on the way to ZZZ1. We departed ZZZ1 operating flight abc to ZZZ2. We climbed to FL320 and were 80 miles from ZZZ when the lead flight attendant notified the captain that they were feeling ill again. Similar symptoms again. The lead flight attendant called the captain again to notify him that a young boy was feeling a tingling sensation around his lips and another passenger in the back of the aircraft was experiencing some tunnel vision. The captain notified ATC that we were changing our destination to ZZZ. They asked what the reason was and he told them possible carbon monoxide leak in the cabin. While the captain coordinated with dispatch; operations and maintenance; I handled the radio and flying the aircraft to divert to ZZZ to land runway xxr. After landing went to gate where medical personnel were waiting to assess the situation. Safety; in flight and the chief pilot's office were there with maintenance. The FAA showed up after the passengers were deplaned. Another aircraft was coordinated and after speaking with personnel we changed the back end crew and completed the flight to ZZZ2 with a different aircraft. The flight attendants were treated by paramedics for carbon monoxide levels and positive results were noted. The 3 flight attendants were sent to the emergency room for further evaluation. Suspect some sort of leak that allowed carbon monoxide to enter the right duck work. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter states that the cabin attendants were never actually tested for carbon monoxide; but did appear to be suffering from the lack of oxygen. The incident was taken very seriously by management and the aircraft was thoroughly inspected by maintenance. Input from the manufacturer was also sought but no defects could be found.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B717 First Officer reports symptoms of possible carbon monoxide poisoning experienced by passengers and cabin crew on two segment flight. On second leg Captain elects to divert for medical attention.

Narrative: At altitude the Lead Flight Attendant notified the Captain that the other flight attendants were not feeling well. They were by the emergency exit row and said they were feeling light-headed with a pounding headache. The Captain spoke with the Lead and discussed their condition. He asked the Lead about nourishment; rest and ability to continue the flight. They continued to update the Captain about their situation and had asked about the cabin pressurization. The Captain and I discussed the possible effects of hypoxia but the cabin pressurization was steady at 6;700 FT cabin pressure at FL340. The Captain said to descend to FL280 for operational requirements to increase the density of the air. At FL280 the cabin pressure was at 4;800 FT. The Lead Flight Attendant notified the Captain that they were feeling better. We discussed the divert requirements and continued to ZZZ1. Upon arriving in ZZZ1 we had Maintenance meet us to troubleshoot the problem. The Captain made a point to pay particular attention to the passengers as they deplaned. He noticed their cheeks were flushed. After completing my walkaround I noticed that the third Flight Attendant's complexion was ashen. Maintenance conducted their check and could not duplicate the situation and could not find any leaks. The Captain conducted another crew brief and asked the Flight Attendants to notify him at once if they felt anything resembling what they experienced on the way to ZZZ1. We departed ZZZ1 operating flight ABC to ZZZ2. We climbed to FL320 and were 80 miles from ZZZ when the Lead Flight Attendant notified the Captain that they were feeling ill again. Similar symptoms again. The Lead Flight Attendant called the Captain again to notify him that a young boy was feeling a tingling sensation around his lips and another passenger in the back of the aircraft was experiencing some tunnel vision. The Captain notified ATC that we were changing our destination to ZZZ. They asked what the reason was and he told them possible carbon monoxide leak in the cabin. While the Captain coordinated with Dispatch; Operations and Maintenance; I handled the radio and flying the aircraft to divert to ZZZ to land Runway XXR. After landing went to gate where medical personnel were waiting to assess the situation. Safety; In Flight and the Chief Pilot's Office were there with Maintenance. The FAA showed up after the passengers were deplaned. Another aircraft was coordinated and after speaking with personnel we changed the back end crew and completed the flight to ZZZ2 with a different aircraft. The Flight Attendants were treated by paramedics for carbon monoxide levels and positive results were noted. The 3 Flight Attendants were sent to the emergency room for further evaluation. Suspect some sort of leak that allowed carbon monoxide to enter the right duck work. Callback conversation with Reporter revealed the following information: The Reporter states that the Cabin Attendants were never actually tested for carbon monoxide; but did appear to be suffering from the lack of oxygen. The incident was taken very seriously by Management and the aircraft was thoroughly inspected by Maintenance. Input from the manufacturer was also sought but no defects could be found.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.