As if I wasn’t already freaked out about flying, a report from University of New South Wales, Australia says pilots are being poisoned by their planes.
According to the lead researcher, Susan Michaelis:
Compressed air is routinely drawn off engines and supplied to aircraft cabins. If the seal inside the engine is not secure, engine oil can leak into the cabin and contaminating air with toxic tricresyl phosphate (TCP).
What? Compressed air is drawn off the engines? What engineer thought that was a good idea?
Now, if instead of engine oil there was some other kind of oil, that design decision might make more sense. You know what I’m talkin’ about, the kind that induces a desire for Twinkies and Doritos at three in the morning.
Then the passengers might not be as stressed about their toxic pilots.