Why Toxic Fumes on Planes Are Being Blamed for Illnesses and Deaths

Summary

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WSJ What’s News – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Why Toxic Fumes on Planes Are Being Blamed for Illnesses and Deaths
Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Alex Osila (The Wall Street Journal)
Guest/Interviewee: Ben Katz, WSJ Reporter

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Overview

This episode of What’s News takes a deep dive into a rising health concern in commercial aviation: the presence of toxic fumes in airplane cabins and their alleged links to serious illnesses and deaths. WSJ reporter Ben Katz discusses new findings connecting so-called "fume events" to neurological disorders and highlights both what’s known and what remains disputed between health experts and the aviation industry.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Surge in Fume Events (06:00–06:30)

• Fume Events Defined: "Fume events" refer to incidents where toxic fumes from a jet's engines leak into the cockpit or the passenger cabin.
• Trend: Katz reports that such incidents have surged, happening “nearly 10 times as much in 2024 as a decade earlier” among the biggest US airlines.

2. Health Effects & Scientific Evidence (06:30–07:31)

• Potential Health Impact: Katz emphasizes that while causal connections remain difficult to prove in medical science, evidence is building:
  • “We're starting to see these patterns where there are these potential links where what happens in a severe fume event could lead to or is associated with serious illnesses. So we highlighted in the piece that we did, neurodegenerative disorders like ALS, Alzheimer's, depression, and suicide also very much linked.” [Ben Katz, 06:44]
• Comparison to Other Fields: Doctors draw parallels between fume event effects and brain injuries experienced by soldiers (concussive blasts, chemical exposure) or athletes (NFL, soccer players) [C, 00:44 & 07:12]:
  • Quote: “Doctors see the effects of fume events as potentially being very similar to the kind of brain injuries that soldiers experience when they're on the battlefield, either from concussive blasts or from chemical exposure, or even NFL players or soccer players on the pitch, on the field.”

3. Airline and Manufacturer Response (07:31–08:27)

• Undisputed Facts: All parties agree that engine oil, hydraulic fluid, and de-icing fluid can leak, become vaporized, and mix into the plane’s air supply.
• Industry Position: Airlines and manufacturers maintain that detected contamination levels “...are [not] high enough to warrant even close to anything of concern,” and they often point to a lack of definitive research.
• Critique of Industry Response: Katz counters, “We've come across multiple incidents of industry obfuscating, even blocking or lobbying against attempts to do that kind of research.” [Ben Katz, 08:20]

4. Risk to Passengers & Precautionary Measures (08:27–09:31)

• Likelihood: Out of thousands of daily flights in the US, about 22 are affected, making individual risk low.
  • Quote: “The first thing to point out is that the chances of it happening to you on your aircraft is very low.” [Ben Katz, 08:38]
• Precaution: For concerned travelers (those with comorbidities), Katz suggests using a highly-rated mask (“rated both for gases and to filter out ultra fine particles”). N95 masks are not sufficient.
  • Practical note: “They’re available for anywhere between 30 and $50 and you can buy them online...I don't want to make the recommendation. Again, the chance of you encountering this is very low. But if you are nervous about it, you know that that is one option.” [Ben Katz, 08:53–09:24]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Difficulty of Proof:

  • “Causation, especially in medical terms, is kind of a really high bar...that’s proven with cohort studies over a period of time.”
    — Ben Katz, 06:35

• On Patterns Emerging:

  • “We’re starting to see these patterns where there are...potential links...between severe fume events and serious illnesses.”
    — Ben Katz, 06:44

• On Industry Resistance:

  • “We've come across multiple incidents of industry obfuscating, even blocking or lobbying against attempts to do that kind of research.”
    — Ben Katz, 08:20

• On Minimizing Risk:

  • "The first thing to point out is that the chances of it happening to you on your aircraft is very low...if you are nervous about it, you know that that is one option [high-rated mask]."
    — Ben Katz, 08:38–09:24

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Important Timestamps

• 06:00 – Introduction to rising fume events on planes
• 06:30 – Scientific debate on links between fumes and illnesses
• 07:12 – Parallels with brain injuries in soldiers and athletes
• 07:34 – Airline and manufacturer stance, and industry resistance to research
• 08:27 – Advice for concerned travelers
• 09:31 – Segment conclusion and sign-off

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Tone and Style

• The tone is investigative yet accessible, balancing scientific caution with real-world practicality. Alex Osila asks pointed, clear questions while Ben Katz delivers nuanced, evidence-based responses, maintaining a neutral but concerned posture on passenger health.

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Additional Resources

• Katz mentions he’s preparing another piece with more travel-specific advice, to be published on WSJ.com.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

The Trump administration's battle against the US wind industry picks up as it stops construction of off wind projects. Plus, Paramount sweetens its offer for Warner with a personal guarantee from billionaire Larry Ellison and how toxic fumes in airplanes are being linked to illness and even death.

[C]

Doctors see the effects of fume events as potentially being very similar to the kind of brain injuries that soldiers experience when they're on the battlefield, either from concussive blasts or from, you know, chemical exposure or even NFL players or soccer players on the pitch on the field.

[B]

It's Monday, December 22nd. Alex I'm Alex Osila for the Wall Street Journal. This is the PM edition of what's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today. Today, the Trump administration stopped construction on all offshore wind projects in the U.S. the Interior Department said it paused the federal leases for five projects due to emerging national security risks. It's the most significant action the administration has taken so far against one of the president's least favorite industries. The decision affects projects from Martha's Vineyard down to Virginia. A wind industry group says the projects would have delivered almost 6 gigawatts of electricity, roughly enough to power Manhattan. In other Trump administration news, President Trump is set to announce that the US Navy will build a new class of warships called Trump class battleships. They will become the centerpiece of the president's vision for a new Golden Fleet. That's according to a US Official. The Golden Fleet is the plan for ships that would be better suited to counter China and other potential future threats. And the Trump class ships would be an upgrade to Navy destroyers that are the workhorse of the current fleet and that Trump has criticized the latest development on the roller coaster ride of the sale of Warner Brothers Discovery. Paramount has updated its nearly $80 billion offer for Warner to include a personal guarantee from billionaire Larry Ellison, the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison, on $40.4 billion of equity financing for the deal. Joe Flint, who covers media for the Journal, says that may not be enough to get Warner or its shareholders on board. Earlier, the company had recommended that shareholders reject Paramount's bid because it thought Netflix's deal for $72 billion was better.

[A]

One of the big concerns Warner had was the Ellison Trust that Paramount was using to back their offer that it was a revocable trust. So Paramount has now changed the offer to say it is irrevocable, basically saying Larry Ellison and the Ellison family is making a personal guarantee. I think it may change the calculus for some shareholders, however, this is one of two issues Warner had. The Netflix offer, Warner feels is better because of the value it also places on assets Warner is spinning off. I talked to one shareholder today who said, well, this solves one of the problems, but we still feel like the bid is not where Netflix's is. So that's still a bigger issue for some shareholders. And obviously we will be watching to see if Paramount comes back and further increases its offer.

[B]

A Netflix spokeswoman declined to comment. Paramount isn't the only company making deal news today. Cintas, a company that makes workplace products from mops to restroom supplies, has made a new bid for uniform supplier Unifirst after nearly four years of failing to get a deal done. This time, the company is bidding $5.2 billion. It's including a $350 million break fee as a sign of its confidence that regulators will approve the deal. Unifirst said its board was reviewing the offer and we're exclusively reporting that Energy Capital Partners 2017 deal to buy the natural gas power producer Calpine is set to become the most profitable private equity deal ever. The firm's sale of Calpine to Constellation Energy is expected to close in the next month, leaving Energy Capital Partners and its co investors with earnings of more than $25 billion, including dividends. That's according to people familiar with the matter. Broader markets climbed today, with the S and P leading the gains and closing up 0.6%. Paramount and Warner Brothers shares ended higher while Netflix dipped. Wind power stocks also slid after the Trump administration's latest move against the industry. In commodities trading, both gold and silver hit their latest record high. The prices for the two metals are on track for their biggest annual gains since 1979. Coming up, how toxic fumes on airplanes may be making people sick. And a Russian general has been killed on his way to work in Moscow. More on these stories after the break.

[D]

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[B]

Reports of fume events where toxic fumes from a jet's engines leak into the cockpit or cabin have surged in recent. The Wall Street Journal has reported that among the biggest US airlines, they happen nearly 10 times as much in 2024 as a decade earlier. Now a growing body of evidence shows a potential link between fume events and serious illness or even death. Reporter Ben Katz has been working on this investigation for the Journal. Ben, what is the relationship between fume incidents and deaths? What do scientists and doctors say at the moment?

[C]

A lot of hesitation about proving any kind of causation. And causation, especially in medical terms, is kind of a really high bar. You know, it's something that's proven with cohort studies over a period of time. You need access to pilots, different aircraft, you know, the participation of airlines. But what they're saying is that we're starting to see these patterns where there are these potential links where what happens in a severe fume event could lead to or amnesia's in part associated with serious illnesses. So we highlighted in the piece that we did, neurodegenerative disorders like als, Alzheimer's, depression, and suicide also very much linked. A large part of this is because doctors see the effects of fume events as potentially being very similar to the kind of brain injuries that soldiers experience when they're on the battlefield, either from concussive blasts or from chemical exposure, or even NFL players or soccer players on the pitch, on the field.

[B]

And what do airlines and plane manufacturers say about this?

[C]

So what is undisputed is that on a commercial aircraft engine, oil, hydraulic fluid, de icing fluid, that these can leak into the compressor section of an engine, they become vaporized, and then they mix into the air supply that we breathe as passengers in the cabin, and also that the pilots breathe in the cockpit. That is undisputed, that's recognized. What's really at dispute here is that the industry says it's never been shown that the level of contaminants are high enough to warrant even close to anything of concern. Where the industry points to this fact that, you know, the research just hasn't been done, and that's really the position that they stand on, that, you know, they're willing and eager to learn more and to explore. That hasn't really come across in our reporting. We've come across multiple incidents of industry obfuscating, even blocking or lobbying against attempts to do that kind of research.

[B]

Lots of folks of course are going to be traveling in planes for their holiday plans. What should listeners do if they're worried about toxic fumes on their flight?

[C]

From what we know there are about 22 flights a day in the US are affected. That's of thousands. Right. So you know, the first thing to point out is that the chances of it happening to you on your aircraft is very low. That being said, if you are concerned, maybe you have a comorbidity, maybe there's something else you're worried about. There are potentially measures that you can take. One is purchasing a mask. They need to be rated both for gases and to filter out ultra fine particles. So an N95 isn't enough. You need a mask that can capture both and also that fits perfectly sealed on your face. They're available for anywhere between 30 and $50 and you can buy them online. You know, is it worth kind of having it in your bag maybe? I don't want to make the recommendation. Again, the chance of you encountering this is very low. But if you are nervous about it, you know that that is one option.

[B]

That was WSJ reporter Ben Katz. Thanks so much, Ben.

[C]

Thank you.

[B]

Ben has another piece coming with more advice on how travelers can handle toxic fumes. Look for that on WSJ.com. In international news, a Russian general was killed today when a bomb attached to his car exploded in Moscow. Russian media said the bomb went off just as the officer, Lieutenant General Fanil Savarov, had begun his commute to work at around 7am local time. The killing would be the latest apparent assassination of a member of Russia's military command since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine. A Kremlin spokesman said today that Russia's security services are working to identify the perpetrators. While Russian investigators said Ukrainian special services may have been involved, Ukraine hasn't commented. And there are new details about the two suspects behind the Bandai beach attack earlier this month that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration. A video recorded in October shows the father and son sitting in front of an image of an Islamic State flag with guns resting against the wall and condemning the acts of quote, Zionists. Sajid Akram was killed in a shootout with police While his son, 24 year old Navid Akram was wounded and charged with terrorism and murder. The new information supports the theory that the sun fits the profile of an Islamic State inspired lone wolf which you heard us discuss on the show last week. That being a disaffected young man with extremist views who working by himself or with family, carries out a deadly act of terrorism. And that's what's news for this Monday afternoon. Today's show is produced by Anthony Bancy with supervising producer Tali Arbel. I'm Alex Osola for the Wall Street Journal. We'll be back with a new show tomorrow morning. Thanks for listening.