✈️ Frequent Flyers Beware: Does Your Airline Spray Pesticides While You're Onboard?
I Learned Something New Today! Has This Ever Happened To You?
Sources: Organic Authority and Global Possibilities
I was aware that airlines cleaned the cabin between flights, but the idea that they sprayed the cabins with pesticides in between flights, or that in some cases, sprayed them while you’re actually onboard, came as a surprise. If you're a frequent flyer, here’s what you need to know….
Pesticide spraying is a means for airlines to protect against deadly diseases like malaria and yellow fever as well as to protect against someone unknowingly bringing a deadly fungus on board that could infest our agriculture. According to the Department of Transportation, pesticide spraying is permitted under international law to protect public health, agriculture, and the environment. And while only a few countries require it, most countries reserve the right to spray, according to USA Today.
For the most part, two methods are used to spray. The World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization have outlined two methods deemed “safe.” One involves spraying insecticides using aerosol cans while you’re onboard. In fact, inbound flights to Cuba, Ecuador, (only Galapagos and Interislands), Grenada, India, Kiribati, Madagascar, Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay require this method of spraying.
The Common Practice of Insecticide Use Within Airplane Cabins
The first question that comes to mind regarding the spraying of pesticides on airplanes is a resounding why? Why would insecticides be sprayed throughout a pressurized tube with recirculated air, where people — children, pregnant women and the elderly included — are captive for hours at a time? My first thought was …. certainly is another way to kill people..
For the World Health Organization (World Homicide Organization), the answer is simple: bugs. Those nasty pests who spread unpleasant diseases like malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever — and now the Zika Virus, as well as insects that can seriously damage crops. The practice is known as “disinsection” and it’s considered a public health measure, one that is mandated by International Health Regulations.
As stated by the World Health Organization, the different procedures currently in use are:
Treatment of the interior of the aircraft using a quick-acting insecticide spray immediately before take-off, with the passengers on board;
Treatment of the interior of the aircraft on the ground before passengers come on board, using a residual-insecticide aerosol, plus additional in-flight treatment with a quick-acting spray shortly before landing;
Regular application of a residual insecticide to all internal surfaces of the aircraft [without passengers on-board], except those in food preparation areas.
While the idea of controlling the transport of disease-carrying insects is understandable, the method can hardly be considered a safe, realistic solution — especially since the pesticides used are far from harmless.
Video: Airline Staff Sprays Pesticides On Passengers Inside an Aircraft Cabin
Toxic Air Travel
Phenothrin is a neurotoxin and can increase the risk of cancer, Parkinson’s disease, memory loss, and autoimmune disorders, such as lupus. It’s also one of the insecticides used to control pests on airplanes. Another class are synthetic pyrethroids — namely, permethrin and d-Phenothrin. Both are considered neurotoxins — and both are routinely used for disinsection. Incredibly, up until the 1970s, DEET was the toxin of choice for airplane cabins.
Passengers have reported negative reactions linked to the spraying, including: sinus problems, rashes and hives, headaches, respiratory issues and flu-like symptoms. Anaphylactic shock has also been documented.
“With little ventilation and in such a closed space, spraying pesticides on airplanes while passengers are still on board is troubling, particularly for sensitive groups like children, pregnant mothers, the elderly, and those with chronic conditions,” says Drew Toher Public Education Associate at Beyond Pesticides [source]
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the following countries require disinsection of all in-bound flights with an aerosolized spray while passengers are on-board:
Ecuador (only Galapagos and inter-island)
Grenada
Guyana
India
Kiribati
Madagascar
Panama
Seychelles
Tanzania
Timor-Leste
Trinidad and Tobago
Uruguay
Zimbabwe
Countries requiring the disinsection of all in-bound flights but allowing, as an alternative to the above approach, either (a) the residual method or (b) the application of an aerosolized spray while passengers are not on-board. However, there have been many reports of spraying with passengers still on-board for flights into Australia.
Australia
Barbados
Cook Islands
Fiji
Jamaica
New Zealand
Additionally, the countries below require disinsection on flights from specific locations where contagious disease and zika, malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever are prevalent:
Czech Republic
France
Indonesia
Mauritius
South Africa
Switzerland
United Kingdom
If you have a question about whether an upcoming flight is at risk for spraying, a list of airline representatives, who are familiar with disinsection requirements, can be found here.
👉 Aircraft Insecticide: Why Certain Plane Cabins Are Sprayed Before Departure
👉 Pesticide on planes: Parents call for changes after cabin fumigated with passengers on board
👉 Aircrew Safety & Health – Exposure to Pesticides on Aircraft
👉 FAA PDF Document: Quantifying Exposure to Pesticides on Commercial Aircraft
👉 Anaphylaxis in an Airplane After Insecticide Spraying