Campaigners demand action over airline ‘killer’

Date: 13/06/02

By Martin Banks

RELATIVES of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) victims have called on the EU to force airlines to advise passengers about increased health risks associated with air travel.

Brenda Wilson and Ruth Christofferson, whose children both died from DVT after travelling on long-haul flights, took their campaign to the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week. The two British women, who met Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio and health chief David Byrne, called on the EU to require that airlines provide:

• Pre-take-off health briefings on all flights;
• Information on DVT to be made available to passengers on their tickets, and;
• EU funds to be allocated to assess the public health risks for passengers on long-haul flights.

They are backed by Socialist MEP Arlene McCarthy, who has won Parliamentary support for amendments calling for the demands to be included in the new EU package of air passenger rights currently under negotiation.

Mrs Wilson, whose son Neil died of a heart attack at the age of 32 as a result of DVT, said: 'How many times does this have to happen to families before the airlines admit negligence? Airlines have known for years about air-related DVT and done nothing.'

Mrs Christofferson, whose 28-year-old daughter Emma died from DVT minutes after arriving in London after a holiday flight from Australia in October 2000, said: 'We want people to know that if it can happen to a young, fit person like Emma then it can happen to anyone.'

McCarthy said: 'You are required under civil aviation law to wear a seat belt. In the interests of public health, we need similar requirements so airlines warn the public about possible health risks from blood clots on tickets before they fly.

She added: 'The European Commission must fulfil its Treaty obligations to maintain high standards of public health and take urgent action to educate the public about health risks from DVT.'

DVT is the formation of a blood clot in one of the deep veins of the body, usually in the leg, as a result of a lack of circulation. This can be caused by long periods of inactivity or lack of exercise.

DVT-related fatalities most commonly occur as a result of an embolism, where a piece of the clot breaks away and travels through the body to become lodged in the lung, resulting in severe breathing difficulties.

A recent French study has shown that journeys of more than five hours by car, plane or train increase the risk of DVT fourfold.

There is particular risk with air travel because of the combination of inactivity and dehydration.

Some airlines already issue warnings to passengers voluntarily, but carriers are opposed to measures to make health briefings and information obligatory.

• DAVID Henderson, a spokesman for the Association of European Airlines, said DVT was 'not exclusively an air transport problem', but was caused by any prolonged periods of immobility.

'We certainly agree there should be more funding and more research to find out how big the problem is,' said Henderson. 'But we question the justification for pre-flight warnings and notices on tickets.

'It would create the impression that there's something there when it remains to be demonstrated that there is.'

Relatives of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) victims have called on the EU to force airlines to advise passengers about increased health risks associated with air travel.