Red Spots on Airline Flight Attendants

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Cesta, R. B. ; Jones, A. R. ; Millett, D. P. ; Poh, M. B. ; Cesta, R. B. ; Jones, A. R. ; Millett, D. P. ; Poh, M. B.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Bureau of Epidemiology ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Bureau of Epidemiology
• Description:
  From January 1 to March 10, 1980, Eastern Airlines (EAL) received 190 reports of episodes of red spots appearing on the skin of flight attendants (FAs) during various flights. The spots were reported to be small drops of red liquid that appeared on exposed areas of the skin during the flight and disappeared shortly afterward. Complaints of symptoms accompanying the spots were rare, but some FAs expressed concern that the spots were caused by bleeding through the skin and might indicate a serious health hazard. On March 12, investigators from CDC traveled to Miami to assist in the investigation. EAL's medical personnel had examined several persons with the spots and obtained swabs and scrappings as clinical specimens. No evidence of damage to underlying skin was noted on these examinations, nor was any noted by consultant dermatologists who examined affected FAs after the spots had disappeared. Chemical tests on clinical specimens for the presence of blood were negative. Airline personnel had investigated the ventilation systems, cleaning materials and procedures, and other environmental factors on affected aircraft. Air-flow patterns and cabin temperatures, pressures, and relative humidity were found to be normal. Cleaning materials and routines had been changed, but cases continued to occur. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aircraft Air Movements Emergencies Environment Health Personnel Ink Occupational Health Safety Skin Skin Diseases
• Keywords:
  Air Analysis Aircrews Air Flow Coloring Materials Dermatology Emergency Equipment Environmental Factors Equipment Design Fabrics Flight Personnel Humans Inks Medical Examinations Medical Screening Physicians Skin Disorders Skin Irritants

  More +
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)   ; Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)  
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Pages in Document:
  3 pdf pages
• Volume:
  29
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054678
• Citation:
  MMWR 1980 Mar; 29(12):141-142
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1980
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a4b8d1763306c0a3d5cfcbede7f75757296e49ec6682c77e26e4e32e75717498561eeaa8076315f597cfb15685050214a2a5143cdef411e08f40e9090ce515c0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183277/cdc_183277_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 393.01 KB ]