2014
Volume 14, Number 4, ppp. 113–116
Is there such a thing as aerotoxic syndrome?
J.J. Ramsden
Clore Laboratory, The University of Buckingham, MK18 1EG, UK
This paper assesses the current status of the diagnosis “aerotoxic syndrome”, namely, the cluster of characteristic symptoms reported after exposure to aviation engine oil fumes. The review begins with a short history of the diagnostic term since its introduction in 2000, and describes how the onset and characteristics of the reported symptoms are distinct from other medical conditions. While there is obvious overlap between aerotoxic syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivity, the former should not be considered a subcategory of the latter. A “nocebo effect” does not adequately explain the prevalence and consistency of the symptoms that continue to be widely reported by individuals exposed to engine oil fumes on aircraft. Currently, occupational and aviation medicine specialists largely rely on a diverse collection of diagnoses describing their patients’ neuropsychological deficits, as well as neurological, respiratory and cardiac abnormalities, among others. There is merit in a single diagnostic descriptor capturing these symptoms.