SAE AIR5784A

The previous revision of AIR5784 summarizes some of the available literature on cabin air study, engine oil composition, decomposition, and toxicity testing. This revision of AIR5784 includes literature and information on stakeholder involvement, selected air sampling studies, oil composition, and oil degradation, published from 2000 to 2023. The entire contents of the reviewed literature are not necessarily endorsed by either SAE or the members of the study group who produced it. This is not a comprehensive review but is intended to enable E-34 and other technical organizations to participate in informed discussions on the topic. Also, the review is intended to indicate where additional work may be necessary to properly gauge the potential role that turbine lubricants (and OPs) play in cabin air quality. The toxicology of oil fumes and their individual constituents is beyond the scope of this document and outside the remit of this committee. There continues to be interest in the quality of the environment within aircraft cabins and cockpits, especially in the commercial world. Cabin air quality has been at the core of a continuing discussion for decades. Some pilots and cabin crewmembers have raised concerns about potential contamination of cabin air by engine lubricants, especially the organophosphate (OP) and ultrafine particle (UFP) content. To contribute to the discussion, the SAE E-34 committee compiled literature on the composition and degradation of gas turbine engine lubricants, in addition to some relevant cabin air measurements and a description of stakeholder involvement. This revision is based on literature and information published from 2000 to 2023.