Narrative:

During a cross country flight -- lax, mci, dca, the rain repellent bottle (located on the flight deck of nearly all united states manufactured air carrier aircraft) discharged over 4 hours. The result was eye irritation and headaches to the flight crew. We were transported in dca to a hospital and treated, then released. How manufacturer got certified to place this noxious and potentially toxic chemical in the cockpit is beyond me. It should be relocated to an isolated area where leaks can be confined. Call for more specifics. Manufacturer will not talk truthfully about it. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: the reporting captain states that the rain repellent system was full on departure both from lax and mci but was empty upon arrival at dca. A flight attendant came to the cockpit and was surprised to find the flight crew 'putting up' with the odor. The flight attendant found a pool of rain repellent on the cockpit floor behind the captain. The flight crew put on their oxygen masks for the rest of the trip. The captain noticed that the first officer's flying was rather sloppy and that he, the captain, was unusually annoyed with the controllers. The captain had called to have paramedics meet the aircraft. The flight crew was taken to a local hospital where their eyes were flushed. Nothing else was done as no one could determine the chemical ingredients of the rain repellent. The captain has since found that osha has called rain repellent a hazardous material. The FAA has obtained a waiver so that it can be placed in the cockpit. The chemical is 'cfc 113.' the captain's research has found that cfc 113 can be absorbed through the skin and, in the first 45 mins of exposure, can attack the heart muscle. The reporting captain told of another captain who got sprayed in the face with cfc 113 and lost his medical. He sued the manufacturer and won $9 million! This is on appeal, and he has his medical back. The only fix to date has been to add an odorizer, orange, to the cfc 113 to make a leak more conspicuous. Rain repellent is required for dispatch into CAT III WX. There may be no substitute for this brand name compound found in most air carrier aircraft manufactured in the united states.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MLG CREW WAS NEARLY DISABLED BY EXPOSURE TO LEAKING CFC 113, A CHEMICAL USED IN RAIN REPELLANT IN ALL UNITED STATES MANUFACTURED ACR ACFT.

Narrative: DURING A XCOUNTRY FLT -- LAX, MCI, DCA, THE RAIN REPELLENT BOTTLE (LOCATED ON THE FLT DECK OF NEARLY ALL UNITED STATES MANUFACTURED ACR ACFT) DISCHARGED OVER 4 HRS. THE RESULT WAS EYE IRRITATION AND HEADACHES TO THE FLC. WE WERE TRANSPORTED IN DCA TO A HOSPITAL AND TREATED, THEN RELEASED. HOW MANUFACTURER GOT CERTIFIED TO PLACE THIS NOXIOUS AND POTENTIALLY TOXIC CHEMICAL IN THE COCKPIT IS BEYOND ME. IT SHOULD BE RELOCATED TO AN ISOLATED AREA WHERE LEAKS CAN BE CONFINED. CALL FOR MORE SPECIFICS. MANUFACTURER WILL NOT TALK TRUTHFULLY ABOUT IT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE RPTING CAPT STATES THAT THE RAIN REPELLENT SYS WAS FULL ON DEP BOTH FROM LAX AND MCI BUT WAS EMPTY UPON ARR AT DCA. A FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND WAS SURPRISED TO FIND THE FLC 'PUTTING UP' WITH THE ODOR. THE FLT ATTENDANT FOUND A POOL OF RAIN REPELLENT ON THE COCKPIT FLOOR BEHIND THE CAPT. THE FLC PUT ON THEIR OXYGEN MASKS FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP. THE CAPT NOTICED THAT THE FO'S FLYING WAS RATHER SLOPPY AND THAT HE, THE CAPT, WAS UNUSUALLY ANNOYED WITH THE CTLRS. THE CAPT HAD CALLED TO HAVE PARAMEDICS MEET THE ACFT. THE FLC WAS TAKEN TO A LCL HOSPITAL WHERE THEIR EYES WERE FLUSHED. NOTHING ELSE WAS DONE AS NO ONE COULD DETERMINE THE CHEMICAL INGREDIENTS OF THE RAIN REPELLENT. THE CAPT HAS SINCE FOUND THAT OSHA HAS CALLED RAIN REPELLENT A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL. THE FAA HAS OBTAINED A WAIVER SO THAT IT CAN BE PLACED IN THE COCKPIT. THE CHEMICAL IS 'CFC 113.' THE CAPT'S RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT CFC 113 CAN BE ABSORBED THROUGH THE SKIN AND, IN THE FIRST 45 MINS OF EXPOSURE, CAN ATTACK THE HEART MUSCLE. THE RPTING CAPT TOLD OF ANOTHER CAPT WHO GOT SPRAYED IN THE FACE WITH CFC 113 AND LOST HIS MEDICAL. HE SUED THE MANUFACTURER AND WON $9 MILLION! THIS IS ON APPEAL, AND HE HAS HIS MEDICAL BACK. THE ONLY FIX TO DATE HAS BEEN TO ADD AN ODORIZER, ORANGE, TO THE CFC 113 TO MAKE A LEAK MORE CONSPICUOUS. RAIN REPELLENT IS REQUIRED FOR DISPATCH INTO CAT III WX. THERE MAY BE NO SUBSTITUTE FOR THIS BRAND NAME COMPOUND FOUND IN MOST ACR ACFT MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.