Many cabin crew are being misdiagnosed following Fume Events due to incorrect tests being given or the tests are denied by the occupational medical doctors hired and financed by the airlines to treat them in order to hide the evidence of chemical exposure. It has become necessary for us to take this into our own hands to provide this crucial medical documentation of our injuries. During the past, our only options following a Fume Event was to try and get the medical facility to order the carboxyhemoglobin for carbon monoxide and the cholinesterase test. These are both very vague and inconclusive tests but it is all we have really been offered if at all in the past. This is a more specific urine test which tests for a wide array of toxins and organophosphate poisonings.  It will not be covered by the airline of course so it will be an out of pocket test.

Yet, it just depends on how serious you are about documenting your Fume Event injury. I will be taking this test myself and will publish my results for our community. The information below gives you an overview of what chemicals it tests for and a profile about the testing facility. You can order your test kit for free delivery in the United States and shipping fees apply for outside of the US. You can have this available in your travel bag. If you need to send the test in following a future Fume Event, then you would send your specimen with your payment at that time. The test to order from the website is called GPL-TOX (Toxic Organic Chemical Profile). The cost for the test is $219 by Cashiers Check or Money Order. That is the cash price. If you use your credit card then surcharges apply.

website:       https://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/gpl-tox/

GPL – TOX:  

TOXIC NON-METAL CHEMICAL PROFILE

Every day, we are exposed to hundreds of toxic chemicals through products like pharmaceuticals, pesticides, packaged foods, household products, and environmental pollution.  As we have become more exposed to chemical-laden products and to toxic chemicals in food, air, and water, we have been confronted with an accelerating rate of chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, chemical sensitivity, autism spectrum disorders, ADD/AD(H)D, autoimmune disorders, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Because exposure to environmental pollutants has been linked to many chronic diseases, The Great Plains Laboratory has created GPL-TOX, a toxic non-metal chemical profile that screens for the presence of 172 different toxic chemicals including organophosphate pesticides, phthalates, benzene, xylene, vinyl chloride, pyrethroid insecticides, acrylamide, perchlorate, diphenyl phosphate, ethylene oxide, acrylonitrile, and more.  This profile also includes Tiglylglycine (TG), a marker for mitochondrial disorders resulting from mutations of mitochondrial DNA.  These mutations can be caused by exposure to toxic chemicals, infections, inflammation, and nutritional deficiencies.

ADVANTAGES OF THE GPL-TOX PROFILE

• GPL-TOX screens for 172 different environmental pollutants using 18 different metabolites, all from a single urine sample.
• GPL-TOX uses the power of advanced mass spectrometry (MS/MS), which is necessary to detect lower levels of certain genetic, mitochondrial, and toxic chemical markers that conventional mass spectrometry often misses.
• GPL-TOX also includes Tiglylglycine, a marker for mitochondrial damage, which is often seen in chronic toxic chemical exposure.
• GPL-TOX pairs perfectly with our Organic Acids Test (OAT) and our Glyphosate Test in the Enviro-TOX Panel.  This panel offers you comprehensive testing to assess exposure to common environmental toxins and the damage that can be caused by this exposure, all at a great value, and all from one urine sample.
• William Shaw, Ph.D., Director of The Great Plains Laboratory is board-certified in both clinical chemistry and toxicology by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry.

**** Organophosphates
Organophosphates are one of the most toxic groups of substances used throughout the world. They are often used as biochemical weapons and terrorist agents but are most commonly used in pesticide formulations. Organophosphates are inhibitors of cholinesterase enzymes, leading to overstimulation of nerve cells, causing sweating, salivation, diarrhea, abnormal behavior, including aggression and depression. Children exposed to organophosphates have more than twice the risk of developing pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), an autism spectrum disorder. A study done in the San Francisco Bay area found that in California agricultural areas, children born to mothers living within 500 meters of fields where organochlorine pesticides were used were more than 6 times more likely to develop autism than children whose mothers did not live near such fields. ASD risk increased with the poundage of organochlorines applied and decreased with distance from field sites. Maternal organophosphate exposure has been associated with various adverse outcomes including having shorter pregnancies and children with impaired reflexes.

Link:  Great Plain Lab Testing Facility

Link:  FUME EVENT “Aviation’s Biggest Lie”