[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    SPRAYING PESTICIDES IN AIRPLANES

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, last night the Senate passed a resolution 
regarding the spraying of pesticides in airplanes. Many times, people 
who fly in airplanes to other countries find that somebody walks 
through spraying insecticides as they arrive in these countries. What 
they do not know is that this is something called Black Knight Roach 
Killer, and it says ``avoid breathing, avoid contact with skin and 
eyes'' on it. But they never tell us this.
  We have now passed a resolution calling on countries to stop this. 
People have literally died from this, and people have been injured by 
it. And what we have now is a resolution passed calling on countries to 
stop this dangerous practice. I applaud the Senate for doing it. It is 
time for it to end.
  I ask unanimous consent that statements and letters be printed in the 
Record at this point.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                             Association of Flight Attendants,

                               Washington, DC, September 28, 1994.
     Hon. Patrick Leahy,
     Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, 
         Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Leahy: The Association of Flight Attendants, 
     AFL-CIO, representing 35,000 flight attendants at 22 
     carriers, strongly supports the Sense of the Senate 
     Resolution concerning the dangerous practice of disinsection 
     of aircraft.
       Passengers on international flights are often unaware that 
     upon arrival to their foreign destination, their cabin will 
     be sprayed with pesticide while they are still on board. 
     Pesticide spraying required by some governments is subjecting 
     flight attendants and passengers to pesticide inhalation and 
     skin absorption.
       This problem is particularly acute for our members who 
     regularly fly to such destinations. Despite warning labels 
     that the disinsective is hazardous if inhaled or absorbed 
     through the skin, flight attendants are required on each 
     flight to spray several cans of such disinsective.
       Because the airplane cabin is our workplace, we are also 
     very concerned with the practice of treating cabins with a 
     residual disinsective that has not even been registered with 
     the Environmental Protection Agency.
       This resolution is an important step forward in our mutual 
     goal to eliminate the practice of disinsection of aircraft 
     cabins. AFA urges all members of the Senate to support this 
     Sense of the Senate Resolution. For the health and safety of 
     flight attendants and passengers, it is time for the United 
     States to take a leadership role to end this hazardous 
     practice.
           Sincerely,
                                                         Dee Maki,
                                               National President.
                                  ____

                                         Air Transport Association


                                                   of America,

                                Washington DC, September 30, 1994.
     Senator Patrick Leahy,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Leahy: We understand that you are considering 
     a sense of the Senate resolution calling upon the United 
     States to advocate, at the Spring 1995 meeting of the 
     Facilitation Division of the International Civil Aviation 
     Organization, the amendment of the Convention on 
     International Civil Aviation to end the practice of 
     disinsection of aircraft cabins and to make every effort to 
     gain the support and cosponsorship of other member nations of 
     ICAO.
       As you know, the Air Transport Association has vigorously 
     supported the efforts of the United States Government to get 
     foreign governments to rescind their requirements that 
     aircraft be disinsected prior to arrival. We firmly believe 
     that the practice is not in our passengers' best interest, 
     but carriers are powerless to unilaterally breech 
     governmental requirements.
       The course you have proposed, bringing the United States 
     position to ICAO, should further the best interests of our 
     citizens and ensure equal treatment of passengers flying on 
     the airlines of all nations.
       Therefore, we wholeheartedly support your efforts to obtain 
     passage of this sense of the Senate resolution.
           Sincerely,
                                                  James E. Landry,
                                                        President.

  Mr. LEAHY. I yield the floor.

                          ____________________