Posted on 04/03/2003 4:47:43 PM PST by Maedhros
Press Release
| Source: Association of Flight Attendants |
Flight Attendants Demand Protection From SARS
Thursday April 3, 11:09 am ET
More than 50,000 flight attendants at 26 airlines join together to form AFA, the world's largest flight attendant union. Visit us @ www.afanet.org.
April 2, 2003
Dear Dr. Jordan:
As Director of the Safety, Health and Security Department of the Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO, I am writing to request that the Federal Aviation Administration issue an emergency order, as described below, to reduce the risk of transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) on aircraft to cabin crew.
The primary reason for this request is the evidence of disease transmission on aircraft. A Singapore Airlines flight attendant was diagnosed with SARS after working on a March 14 flight between New York and Frankfurt that was carrying an infected doctor and his family on board. In addition, 13 passengers were apparently infected with SARS during an Air China flight on March 15 (International Herald Tribune, "World's airports step up measures to fight SARS," 29 March 2003).
According to a review of a SARS cluster in Hong Kong, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, there is evidence that "minimal contact" is enough to spread the disease. There is additional evidence of disease transmission without close physical contact in the report of the Amoy Gardens apartment complex in Hong Kong, where more than 200 residents are now under quarantine.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 72 cases of confirmed or probable SARS have already been reported in the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported additional cases in Canada, Taiwan, Italy, Singapore, and Thailand. Australia and Belgium reported their first probable cases yesterday. This disease is spreading rapidly and there is no time to utilize standard rulemaking channels. An outbreak of this type and proportion requires that standardized and requisite protective measures be implemented immediately.
The CDC has issued a travel advisory, recommending that passengers planning elective or non-essential travel to mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vietnam (Hanoi) "postpone their trips until further notice." Flight attendants do not have that luxury. As such, they need to be protected.
Reports indicate that SARS can be spread in the following two ways: (1) Inhaling infected droplets that are airborne; and (2) Touching infected objects (such as a cup, meal tray, or seatback) and then inadvertently transferring the infectious agents to one's mouth or eyes. In addition, the CDC recommends that flight attendants essentially assume the role of a caregiver by isolating sick passengers, as necessary. If flight attendants do assume this responsibility, then the degree of contact -- and therefore the risk of disease transmission -- increases.
To address these serious issues, we request that the FAA issue an emergency order as follows:
1. Require the airlines to provide flight attendants with non-latex gloves and masks that are determined appropriate protection by the CDC or the WHO, at least on flights to, from, and within at-risk areas (currently Asia and parts of Canada, although this definition may change with the spread of the disease). Flight attendants who opt not to wear said masks and gloves must not be disciplined.
2. At the very least, require the airlines to permit flight attendants, working on flights as defined in paragraph #1 above, to wear their own masks and gloves without any discriminatory action being taken against them.
3. Require the airlines to use established methods to communicate the importance of thorough and regular hand washing, and not touching one's face, to flight attendants (e.g., email, website, flyers, posters) and passengers (e.g., in-flight announcement).
4. Require the airlines to develop, implement and enforce passenger- screening standards, as recommended by the WHO, CDC or the relevant national health officials. The program that is being introduced at Toronto's Pearson Airport may be a good template (New York Times, "Canada to Screen Airline Passengers for Respiratory Ailment," 29 March 2003). The WHO has recommended screening in affected areas.
5. Require the airlines to provide appropriate guidance to flight attendants in the event that a passenger exhibits symptoms during a flight.
We believe that the FAA Administrator has the authority to issue such an order under 49 U.S.C. 44701(a) in light of the serious threat that this outbreak poses to flight attendants and passengers on flights into and out of affected areas.
SARS has left many more unanswered questions than it has answered, but given the reports of disease transmission on aircraft, the evidence that minimal contact can be sufficient to spread the disease, and the potential for close contact if flight attendants must isolate potentially infected passengers, we ask that you will carefully consider this proposal.
Although it is not possible to predict how this outbreak will behave, the simple, proactive measures outlined above could save millions of dollars - and untold lives. I request that you advise me by Friday, April 4 as to what action, up to and including an order from the Secretary of Transportation, either will or may be taken to implement these measures. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Christopher J. Witkowski Director, AFA Air Safety, Health & Security Department
The more likely consequence is reduced travel and even more impact on the airlines.
Home Depots in my area still have plenty of ordinary N95 masks (sans valve). The exhaust valve type can be procured from an industrial supply/safety vendor.
Just don't get an ordinary dust mask; an N95 mask is required to provide the require particle filtration.
He advised that unless the mask you are using is airtight, the bug can still enter the mask area. Additionally, he had a simple test: spray a little perfume in the air with your mask on. If you can smell it - the mask fails.
Have you noticed how unhygenic most people are these days? Wiping ones nose before waiting on people in service professions? I see this almost everyday.
Yup. I don't eat out as much as I once did...just because of this.
It seems reasonable to expect an N95 mask to last a day if:
1) The environment is not known to be contaminated.
2) The environment is not excessively humid.
3) The mask is not damaged.
If any of the above three conditions does not obtain, then replace the mask. Do not attempt to clean the mask. However, if the mask has been used for only a short time, it can be left out and used again another day. Exposure to 12 hours of air can be reasonably assumed to kill small amounts of this type of virus if present on the outer surface of the mask (from what we know now).
The other posters' comments about fit are well taken. Because the fit it is critical, I have purchased N95 respirators, which can fit better than masks and always have the exhaust valve. The respirators come with instructions on how to test fit, and can even be fitted with special test equipment. OTOH, mask instructions basically just tell you to fit the mask to your face and attempt to exhale with your hands covering the mask.
Another thing I like about the respirators is that the cartridges can be easily changed to different types (e.g. I will be using them for spray painting and will need the vapor protection).
Now the real experts can comment...
Sounds like someone was talking about a dust mask, not an N95 mask.
If anyone has credible information that the N95 specification does not eliminate particles of the type involved in the SARS pathogen I'm sure CDC, OSHA and others would like to hear about it.
Why aren't medical personell who are wearing N95 masks getting infected?
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