A 20-YEAR battle for recognition by a Montgomeryshire campaigner has been boosted by the findings of a World Health Organisation (WHO) journal.

Aerotoxic Syndrome is thought to be caused by exposure to contaminated air inside an aircraft, this occurs when a seal has worn down enough to allow oil to enter the mechanisms that control the cabin pressure.

This leads to ‘fume events’ that have been linked with several health issues in the WHO publication.

Angel Brain was forced to quit as an air hostess more than 20 years ago and now lives in the Welshpool countryside to minimise exposure to unclean air due to a health condition.

She is the founder of Flightoxic International and a Team member of Aerotoxic Team Global, she is also portrayed in the award winning documentary 'Unfiltered Breathed In'.

She said: “In a fume event you are basically being poisoned. It is a concoction of different additives from the hydraulic fluids and jet fuel.

“This hits the brain and the receptors.

“That is why there are so many conditions, but they are all from the same cause.”

The journal links fuel events with illnesses that include: PTSD, long-term cognitive dysfunction, occupational asthma, chronic fatigue and many more.

Ms Brain added: “It causes brain injury, central nervous system damage and heart problems. It is linked to a lot of conditions.

“I am suffering from all of those disorders.”

Forced to abruptly quit the air industry in 1995, Ms Brain’s medical conditions include neurotoxic and central nervous system damage.

The WHO report by Susan Michaelis, Jonathan Burdon and C Vyvyan Howard said: “Aircraft air supplies contaminated by pyrolysed engine oil and other aircraft fluids can reasonably be linked to acute and chronic symptoms, findings and diagnoses, thus establishing causation.

“Over 3.5 billion passengers and 0.5 million aircrew were exposed to low levels of engine oils in 2015 (34–36).”

“There is an obvious need for a clearly defined internationally recognised medical protocol.”

Ms Brain and the Aerotoxic Team are now encouraging passengers to be as aware as possible, recommending that masks are taken on flights.

“At least then you can have something to put on,” she added

“The thing with a fume event is that you don’t know when it is going to happen and they might not even be visible.

“We can’t offer 100 per cent protection because there isn’t any.”

For more on Aerotoxic and fume events, visit: aerotoxic.org or aerotoxicteam.com

The WHO report is available at: euro.who.int