The Journal. The Airline Industry Has a Toxic Fume Problem
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Sep 23, 2025 
In this insightful discussion, Benjamin Katz, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal who specializes in the airline industry, unpacks the alarming rise of toxic fume events in aircraft. He reveals how these incidents, often described as smelling like 'dirty socks,' are becoming common and impacting health, including severe cases affecting pilots' vision. Katz details a surprising spike driven by specific engine issues in Airbus A320neo planes and discusses the industry’s dismissive stance on contamination levels, proposing practical fixes and the challenges in implementing them.
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Smoke-Filled Delta Flight Evacuation
- A Delta flight filled with white smoke forced an emergency diversion and evacuation on the tarmac.
- Passengers filmed crew instructing them to breathe through clothing and stay low as smoke filled the cabin.
Cabin Air Often Comes From Engines
- Most commercial cabins get their air from engine bleed air that compresses outside air and feeds the cabin.
- If engine seals degrade, oils and hydraulic fluids can enter high-temperature sections and vaporize into the cabin supply.
Fume Events Have Sharply Increased
- WSJ used AI to scan 15 years of FAA service difficulty reports and found fume events spiking sharply since 2016.
- Incidents rose from ~12 per million departures in 2014 to ~108 per million by 2024 in their analysis.