mkjr

Creeps me out but probably not harmful given all the second hand smoke I inhale from those that choose to smoke in front of public places.

LearningToFly

[QUOTE=matthandy;19205364]Ok, but you are stating your opinion in a manner that suggests it is fact. Why do you believe that there is no good reason for spraying while passengers are seated? As I understand it, the doors of the aircraft have to be closed and at that point, passengers will be seated with their seat belts on. Perhaps there is no specific need for passengers to be seated, but it's just a matter of consequence, given the time at which the spraying is done.
QUOTE]
What I said is that an opininon would be enough.It does not not follow that everything I say is only an opinion.

My point was not wether passengers were seated or not (how could it be more poison to breathe while seated than to breathe while standing up), it was that they are locked into the plane during the spreadings. What a misunderstanding, I should have been more clear.

I won't argue any further regarding cancer, since I already provided the WHO reference (which supposedly ordered these spreadings). Google will help if you really want to know more about pesticides and cancer.

Regarding asthma, I'm just grateful that you don't ask for any evidence.

jerumagrinberga

Yes, pun intended. IMHO, not negative to point out observation ABC, carrier uses XYZ as justification. If justification XYZ correct, would presumably apply in situation DEF, where I haven't seen it applied. And that's the starting point of the conversation ...

as I mentioned first, love the bucks fizz.

NeverFirst

As I posted on the first page of this thread, taken from the WHO website;

So nothing to worry about regarding cancer.

OverThereTooMuch

I believe the "when used as recommended" part is pretty important. The manufacturer of the insecticide may have an entirely different set of instructions vs. the ones that are in use.

Do they link to the details of the chemicals used in this?

1010101

They dont do it every time on the HKG flights - and other airlines dont do it on intra China flights.

I suspect its a BA thing as unfortunately the UK hasnt yet lived down the Mad Cow disease outbreak, and Southern China is home to all sorts of nasties

To Eat.To Drink

This kind of sweeping statement needs to be challenged as there are people in the world who will take it as fact. I work in an evidence-based industry and this kind of statement would always require substantiation.

As you say, the WHO does recognise that some insecticides may be or are proven to be carcinogenic. To extrapolate this to cover all insecticides is wrong. The question that should be addressed is whether the negative aspects of spraying (such as cost and potential health problems ) are outweighed by the benefits (such as a reduction in the transmission of serious insect-borne diseases). I have no idea which side wins and do not have the time or inclination to research the issue. WHO may have done this.

So if spraying causes mild respiratory discomfort in one person but prevents the transmission of malaria in another, there could be an argument to spray. If, as you say, spraying were to slightly increase the risk of contracting cancer, it would come down to numbers and severity. Risk and benefit should be weighed up. It may be an acceptable risk to give someone cancer (which could well be treatable) if the spraying prevents more deaths or serious illness than it may cause.

Yes, this is a forum and you can express opinions. But don't be surprised if people respond and disagree.

Moomba

The worst thing about this is it STINKS. What a putrid horrible sickly sweet odour. It sets my allergies off and I sneeze for the next few minutes.

NeverFirst

They are approved country by country. For a fairly recent list (2009) approved by the UK, try this link (starting at the fifth question).

http://www.publications.parliament.u...90713w0019.htm

The HSE are the approving body but their website doesn't allow for searching by use, but if you know the product you can see the details of what it contains.

But now we're getting off-topic.

OverThereTooMuch

And I would say it's up to BA to provide this info to its passengers.
In the grander sense, sure, this may be acceptable. But in the scope of this thread, no, it's not acceptable. It would never be ok for BA to take an action which is likely to lead to cancer in their customers when there are reasonable ways that the risk could be minimized/eliminated.

Actually no, it's right on topic. I appreciate the list of approved insecticides. But what I was asking was whether or not they provide the specific details on the one that BA uses. From there, you can find how the manufacturer describes its use, what warnings they provide, etc.

To Eat.To Drink

First, they do provide this information. They explicitly say that the spray is not harmful. If you disagree then it is up to you to provide evidence.

Second, of course I do not advocate the use of a spray that is 'likely to lead to cancer'. The WHO tells us that it is safe. If you disagree, provide evidence.

Would you rather die of cancer or malaria? I suspect the answer is neither. The WHO guidance aims to reduce the risk of malaria with no or minimal risk of causing cancer. Breathing air can theoretically cause cancer (free radicals etc.) but they don't recommend avoiding this. It is a question of weighing up the pros and cons.

Assuming the WHO is justified requiring the spraying, what equally effective alternatives do you have in mind? Surely not a different pesticide spray?

OverThereTooMuch

I'm happy to do my own search for evidence. So which chemicals are they using? If that info isn't provided, I'm at a bit of a disadvantage in trying to get informed.
You are slightly misquoting what has been quoted previously in this thread.
Possibly. Why not? Provide evidence that the one being used is the safest in the market. Based off the discussions here, the deployment of this can be done in a better way to help people with certain conditions.

NeverFirst

That made me chuckle. Try the fourth link down on this page;

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=insecticide+%22british+airways%22

To Eat.To Drink

Indeed, very good! Well spotted.

To Eat.To Drink

You are quite correct, thank you for pulling me up on this. The exact text is "WHO has found no evidence that the specified insecticide sprays are harmful to human health when used as recommended". As you are arguing that you do not believe this to be the case, I presume that you have evidence that the WHO did not consider. You have an ethical duty to make this known to WHO and should do so as a matter of urgency. The world will thank you.