I had a seizure at about 3am convulsing and biting my tongue

I had a seizure at about 3am, convulsing and biting my tongue. They had to divert the flight to Calcutta, where I was taken to hospital."You can have seizures because of dehydration, sleep deprivation, hunger and stress. It was a long overnight flight and I was asleep in the first class section. He declined to give his name."I was flying from Singapore to Frankfurt. He added: "Our research suggests TCP may be neurotoxic if taken internally, but we don't believe it represents a significant health problem as a small part of vapour."'I HAD A SEIZURE ON A FLIGHT FROM SINGAPORE TO FRANKFURT'A PILOT on a leading airline says he had an on-board seizure a year ago which could be linked to engine fumes. If the airlines are putting this stuff in planes you can't escape it.

Inhalation is a powerful route of exposure and there's nothing else for the pilot to breathe."A spokesman for Mobil said that TCP might be released under "extreme pressure" as the oil degraded". "But it's not the pilot's fault if there is something wrong with the engine system and the oil is being blown into the cabin Somebody should have thought of this possibility. But it is still listed on the material safety data sheet for Mobil engine oil."The instructions say that if TCP is used according to the instructions it is perfectly safe," said Elizabeth Sigmund, co-ordinator of the OP Information Network. It is then going straight into the bloodstream and your chances of limiting its toxicity are extremely limited."Because it is being used as an "industrial lubricant", TCP does not have to be licensed for use as it would if it were being used as a "veterinary product". It is extremely capable of getting absorbed efficiently via the skin or nose and eyes.

"The balance of risk is such that these products should no longer be used in any form," said Mr Tyler.The pilots' study group is in contact with the Organophosphate Information Network, which has spent seven years providing counselling and advice for farmers suffering chronic neurological damage after using OPs in their sheep dip.Dr Goran Jamal, senior lecturer in neuroscience at Imperial College London, and a former OP adviser to three government departments, said: "Given the high temperatures of engines when they operate it is likely that TCP will become airbound and, if there is a leak, will make its way quite easily into the airstream. We don't have any firm evidence that fumes are coming through the fuselage and damaging health but we have to address this concern."The Health and Safety Executive report on monitoring of exposure to organophosphorous pesticides concludes that repeated exposure at lower doses may cause "insidious cumulative toxicity", causing speech difficulties, memory loss, trembling and restricted use of limbs.Last week, Paul Tyler, chairman of the all-party Parliamentary Group on OPs, submitted a written question to the Ministry of Defence asking for details of OP compounds in military aircraft. The TGWU has also asked airlines to monitor the air quality of the aircraft after a union survey showed 85 per cent of its 13,000 members were concerned about on-board fumes.George Ryde, the TGWU national secretary for civil aviation, said: "I'm not certain airlines are conscious it's a problem for their crews. One OP compound, Tricresylphosphate (TCP), is used in a Mobil oil to help prevent wear and tear of engines.Bruce D'Ancey, assistant national secretary of Balpa, said: "There have been proven problems in farming with OPs and we need to see if it's a problem in aviation."Six British cabin crew, represented by the Transport and General Workers' Union, are believed to be preparing legal claims for exposure to oil fumes. BRITISH AIRLINE pilots have launched an investigation into organo- phosphates in aviation oil amid rising concern that fumes from jet engines have caused mid-air blackouts and seizures among cabin crew. The pilots' union, Balpa, last week asked its medical experts to study whether organophosphates (OPs) are responsible for complaints among airline staff which include dizziness, depression, headaches and loss of vision. The move follows an Independent on Sunday investigation which revealed that 3,000 pilots and crew in America and Australia are claiming compensation for long-term damage to their nervous systems thought to have been caused by engine fumes leaking into the air on two types of plane, the British Aerospace 146 (pictured right) and the McDonnell-Douglas MD-80.

"But I would be surprised if someone was prepared to murder for the sake of a dog show. It is usually easier to get at the animals and poison or dope them than the humans.". In one case, a Saluki breeder allegedly left her dog briefly unattended at a show and returned to find its ear feathering had been hacked with scissors. In other cases, two Samoyed dogs were allegedly poisoned and further death threats were made to scare off rival exhibitors."When you introduce financial gain into a sport with animals, then there is the potential for an element of dishonesty," said Colette Kase, animal welfare manager of the National Canine Defence League. But the rewards fetched by prize whippets are modest compared with those for other breeds - pounds 350 for a puppy against pounds 1,000 for a bulldog puppy.The behaviour of judges, breeders and exhibitors in the world of dog shows has aroused disturbing allegations of deliberate damage and death threats to rival competitors' dogs. The dog is not a common pet, but can be bred for display shows, as the Sheridans' dogs were, and also for hare-coursing. There are not many young whippet breeders and owners around," said Beverley Cuddy, managing director of the magazine Dogs Today.There are 11 whippet-owners' clubs across Britain.