AFA Holds Toxic Air Briefing on Capitol Hill
December 5, 2025 - Yesterday, AFA along with Congressman Chris Pappas hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill about contaminated air and toxic fumes on commercial aircraft. Staff from 22 House and Senate offices attended.
This Capitol Hill briefing is a continuation of our decades-long work around contaminated bleed air. For too long, the aviation industry sought to make victims feel crazy and paint our union’s concerns as hysterical and hyperbolic. But we are beginning to see widespread acknowledgement that this is a very real issue.
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal used our union’s research to show how toxic air exposure has caused hundreds of Flight Attendants, Pilots, and passengers to develop brain injuries over the last 20 years. In response, Congressman Chris Pappas led a bipartisan letter to FAA Administrator Bedford expressing concerns over the increase in reported fume events.
Fixing the problem of contaminated bleed air has been one of our union’s priorities for decades. We led efforts to require fume events to be reported when they happen in the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Bill. And we are proud to support the Safe Air on Airplanes Act, introduced earlier this year, which would work to phase out the bleed air systems that currently exist on almost all commercial aircraft.
Visit the AFA website for printable resources to keep with you onboard, including steps to follow if you are exposed to air supply system fumes.
