B737-700 flight attendants report a strong odor in the lavatories prior to departure but maintenance...

Narrative:

It was the second leg of the flight. In the departure city; the 'B' flight attendant smelled an odor from the aft lavatory. It was confirmed by all crew members. The intensity of the odor was slightly less in the front lavatory than in the aft. I asked maintenance to make sure everything was okay. He said he was unsure exactly what the smell was. It was then determined to possibly be in the tank which is shared by both lavatories. We were given the okay to proceed. About two thirds of the way into the flight; the a flight attendant informed me the smell was giving the B and C flight attendants headaches. She recommended having maintenance investigate the odor. Starting the initial descent (about 230 NM); I was informed that the B flight attendant vomited. I asked if she was okay to continue or if we needed to divert. She said she was okay to continue. I later suggested keeping her away from the smell as much as possible. As we started the arrival; I received a call that the B flight attendant collapsed; and the EMS team was requested at the gate. After coordinating with operations; the flight attendant collapsed again. While this was happening; a medical emergency was being declared. Upon arrival; the flight attendant was removed from the aircraft and the EMS team took a toxicity test. They said the odor was negative for anything toxic. Maintenance also met the aircraft. I had a face-to-face about the odor and he said he would investigate it. I didn't make an entry in the logbook; because I didn't think an odor in the lavatory tank warranted one.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-700 Flight Attendants report a strong odor in the lavatories prior to departure but Maintenance cannot find the cause. Enroute the Flight Attendants experience headaches and one Flight Attendant vomits. A medical emergency is declared for landing at destination airport.

Narrative: It was the second leg of the flight. In the departure city; the 'B' Flight Attendant smelled an odor from the aft lavatory. It was confirmed by all Crew Members. The intensity of the odor was slightly less in the front lavatory than in the aft. I asked Maintenance to make sure everything was okay. He said he was unsure exactly what the smell was. It was then determined to possibly be in the tank which is shared by both lavatories. We were given the okay to proceed. About two thirds of the way into the flight; the A Flight Attendant informed me the smell was giving the B and C Flight Attendants headaches. She recommended having Maintenance investigate the odor. Starting the initial descent (about 230 NM); I was informed that the B Flight Attendant vomited. I asked if she was okay to continue or if we needed to divert. She said she was okay to continue. I later suggested keeping her away from the smell as much as possible. As we started the Arrival; I received a call that the B Flight Attendant collapsed; and the EMS Team was requested at the gate. After coordinating with Operations; the Flight Attendant collapsed again. While this was happening; a medical emergency was being declared. Upon arrival; the Flight Attendant was removed from the aircraft and the EMS Team took a toxicity test. They said the odor was negative for anything toxic. Maintenance also met the aircraft. I had a face-to-face about the odor and he said he would investigate it. I didn't make an entry in the logbook; because I didn't think an odor in the lavatory tank warranted one.

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.

Attributes
ACN	889262
Time
Date	201005
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B737-700
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Descent
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Toilet Furnishing
Person 1
Function	Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 170 Flight Crew Type 170
Events
Anomaly	Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

B737-700 flight attendants report a strong odor in the lavatories prior to departure but maintenance cannot find the cause. Enroute the flight attendants experience headaches and one flight attendant vomits. A medical emergency is declared for landing at destination airport.