Air controllers call for criminal investigation

[w0x0f]

Kind of surprised no one has posted this yet.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=5271014

w0x0f

[digger]

I'm surprised that it hasn't gotten any more media coverage than just the one TV station.   

My recollection (backed up by some research I did after hearing this story), was that diesel exhaust doesn't contain nearly the amount of carbon monoxide that gasoline engine exhaust does. There's lots of other worrisome junk in it, but relatively little carbon monoxide. The fact that the affected controllers showed elevated levels of CO in their systems when they went to the hospital seems to me, to prove that they were indeed exposed to high levels of the fumes, and for an extended period.

Moreso than even exposing the controllers to that danger though, I think what's absolutely criminal was to have people feeling such symptoms actually controlling traffic, where literally hundreds of lives were at stake..

[Studentpilo]

More than hundreds, taking their figure (200 planes in 4 hours, although that seems pretty darn low to me, it would probably be more like 400)

Lets say the average plane has about 100 passengers (balances out the 30 passenger CRJs vs the 400 passenger 747), at minimum thats 2000 lives, if not more like 4000. Not to mention the controllers themselves, or people on the ground.

What the hell was the FAA thinking, oh wait they weren't.

[digger]

...at minimum thats 2000 lives, if not more like 4000.

Yeah, but I was giving the FAA the benefit of the doubt as far as thinking they'd do something about it after somebody put the first two together. Although, you could be right...