Photo: Unfiltered.
Research Funding isn’t available
‘Michel Mulder is a doctor and worked as an airline pilot for many years. He conducts scientific research into Aerotoxic Syndrome. Mulder was there at the very beginning of the Neurotoxicity Research Foundation. The major stumbling blocks: funding for research isn’t available and the aviation industry would rather silence people.
“Overworked, that was the company doctor’s conclusion,” Mulder begins
his story. “That’s how I found myself prematurely grounded. After six months, someone sent me an article from The Independent. It talked about nerve gases found in the air you breathe in the cabin and cockpit. Nerve gases undermine the nervous system. They reduce the conduction of a pulse in the nerve. If you ingest a lot of that stuff, you end up being unable to move and can die of respiratory problems.” (sic)’
Continue reading here:
https://www.unfiltered.vip/research-funding-michel-mulder-md.html
The Neurotoxicity Research Foundation (Netherlands) was refused funding from the EU Horizon Funding Programme for much needed research into Aerotoxic Syndrome which could potentially help so many people suffering long term (chronically) with this disease:
https://neurotoxicityresearch.org/en/welcome/
The European Commission’s Horizon Europe research and innovation funding programme are placing €10 billion into the Clean Skies/Clean Aviation project and are in partnership with the Aviation Industry.
https://www.clean-aviation.eu/about-us/who-we-are/horizon-europe-eu-partnerships
‘Background: Government is providing £685 million in grant funding between 2022-25 for the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme, and a further £975 million has been earmarked until 2030.
This is part of a comprehensive approach to supporting growth of the aerospace sector that includes development of the supply chain, skills development and export promotion support for sales to aerospace customers and their airline customers.’
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-welcomes-historic-airbus-rolls-royce-and-turkish-airlines-deal-worth-billions-to-the-uk
‘Airbus and UK gov combine to boost R&D of aircraft wings’
https://www.airport-technology.com/news/airbus-uk-gov-boost-rd-aircraft-wings/?cf-view&cf-closed
UK Government, Boeing and partners announce £80 million aerospace manufacturing investment
As you can see, there is plenty of EU and U.K. Government funding available for the aviation industry, but none for scientific research into the disabling disease -Aerotoxic Syndrome, caused by exposure to contaminated air in bleed-air aircraft.
The aviation industry (Airbus particularly) is so heavily subsidised by the EU and U.K. Government that it’s difficult to see where the aviation industry ends and government begins.
‘Ronald van der Kuil is a specialist in the field of functional neurology and founder of the Functional Neurological Institute in Lisse, the Netherlands. He became interested in Aerotoxic Syndrome about six years ago. A patient who was professionally active in the aviation industry at the time contacted his institute with a variety of unexplained neurological disorders. After conducting a thorough examination, the patient’s symptoms were found to be associated with Aerotoxic Syndrome, a syndrome caused by inhaled polluted air that was relatively unknown at the time. Since then, the phenomenon has been an almost daily topic at the treatment centre and there has been a more or less constant flow of both domestic and foreign patients from the aviation industry. From pilots, flight attendants, technicians and ground baggage workers to passengers who frequently fly more than six times a year. However, the group of patients also includes employees from other occupational groups, such as agriculture, horticulture, inland shipping, submarine services, housing painting, oil platforms and the construction and wood industries, who experience discomfort in the performance of their jobs after prolonged exposure to toxic substances – including organophosphates.
Apart from the personal suffering that affects Ronald van der Kuil enormously, it angers him that patients diagnosed with the syndrome need to actively fight for recognition of their symptoms as well as for financial compensation as a result of their occupational disability, as Aerotoxic Syndrome is not recognised as an occupational disease.*
After an earlier purely toxicological-based study of toxic substances – including organophosphates – in the aviation industry, it is crucial, in the interest of the rapidly growing group of patients, to conduct a large-scale scientific study that has a neurological angle. A study of both the relationship between toxicants and neurological degeneration as a basis for the development of diagnostics of the syndrome and a therapeutic regime that provides tools and training to overcome early unnecessary health damage.
As of 1 October 2022, Ronald van der Kuil, in collaboration with specialists from the Amsterdam Medical Center, Mount Royal University Calgary (Canada) and Jena University (Germany), passionately and confidently launched the scientific study that is taking place at Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.’
https://neurotoxicityresearch.org/en/about-ronald-van-der-kuil-2/
Donations for this very important research can made through the Neurotoxicity Research Foundation Website (link above).
*Aerotoxic Syndrome still is not officially recognised with an ICD-10 code but was recently recognised in France. The pilot concerned now receives a disability pension through the French healthcare system : Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie (CPAM) for Aerotoxic Syndrome, ruled by the Judicial Tribunal in Bordeaux to be an occupational disease:
https://www.unfiltered.vip/the-court-case-of-pilot-lacoude.html
‘Aerotoxic syndrome: what is that?’
- FN Institute- Netherlands
https://www.fninstitute.com/en/complaints/brain-trauma/aerotoxic-syndrome
This study was only made possible through the shared funding from Daniel Dumalin and the study participants. The good news is that it’s restarting:
Restart of Study on Brain Damage in Flight Personnel
‘Daniel Dumalin MSc -Clinical Research Psychologist and Neurophysiologist
A study on brain damage resulting from exposure to harmful compounds in and around airplanes was started in 2019 by Daniel Dumalin.
Previously, he had noticed a similarity in images and symptoms while studying flight attendants, but it wasn't immediately clear how it related to the workplace on an airplane.
He began looking for more details to get as complete a picture as possible of the unusual work environment aboard an airplane. He looked at the work schedules and the technical specifications of the aircraft. Soon after he began his investigation, he became aware of "aerotoxic syndrome," a recognized problem with air quality in aircraft.
It involves an excessive level of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is not sufficiently broken down, causing overstimulation of the nerves. Examining the scientific literature revealed a link between the harmful compounds in cabin air and the functional deficits in the qEEG that were found.
Daniel Dumalin's personal statement about his work in progress can be read here:’
https://www.unfiltered.vip/daniel-dumalin-msc-study-on-brain-damage.html
‘For more information and to sign up for participation in the study, please send an email to info@flyaware.nl. Rest assured, all personal information will be treated with utmost confidentiality.
Prefer direct contact with Daniel Dumalin himself? That’s also possible, via email to AerotoxBrain@proximus.be ‘
Further information:
https://flyaware.nl/en/short-articles/restart-study-on-brain-damage-by-daniel-dumalin/
This is a Belgian news report on Daniel Dumalin’s study from April 2019:
‘There are numerous stories of pilots who – during such a fume event – become unwell behind the controls and of cabin crew who faint. Some also have persistent complaints afterwards: bursting headaches, extreme tiredness and concentration problems. In some cases, people will start to shake or feel numbness in certain body parts. In the aviation industry, this is referred to as Aerotoxic Syndrome. The syndrome will not only occur after a fume event but also with chronic exposure to low doses of toxic substance in the air. Not a single airline, however, recognises the syndrome as an occupational disease. As a result, pilots or flight attendants will not be financially compensated if they have to stop flying because of their health problems.
“I want to fight for all those people,” says research psychologist Daniel Dumalin working in Ostend, Belgium. He compares the problems in the aviation sector with those in the asbestos or tobacco industry in the 60s and 70s. “Here too, attempts have been made to minimise the health risks. It is only when the scientific evidence became so overwhelming that the industry changed its attitude“.
https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/study-reveals-permanent-brain-damage-among-pilots-and-cabin-crew/
You can find more information on Aerotoxic Syndrome including testimonials, scientific studies, medical information and much more here:
And -
The GCAQE are holding a conference on Aircraft Cabin Air on 17th and 18th September 2024 at Imperial College London.
This may be of interest to those who hold senior positions within the Aviation Industry, Health Services and Government Departments for Transport and Health.
Tickets are available here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aircraft-cabin-air-conference-2024-tickets-782620217137
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