By Megan Cerullo
Updated on: December 12, 2025 / 4:48 PM EST
A Philadelphia law professor is suing Boeing, saying he developed serious health problems after inhaling toxic fumes aboard a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 last year.
Jonathan Harris alleges in the complaint that cabin air became contaminated during an August 2024 flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles, exposing passengers to a mixture of dangerous chemicals. According to the suit, the smells — which Harris described as like “dirty socks” — filled the cabin while the plane sat on the runway for about 45 minutes after landing, before passengers disembarked.
Fumes or smoke entering aircraft cabins can occur when bleed air drawn through engines and filtered for cabin use becomes contaminated, for example by oil, hydraulic fluid or jet fuel if an engine seal fails. A CBS News review of Federal Aviation Administration incident reports found such events are reported frequently.
Boeing’s 787 is the only commercial jet that does not use engine bleed air for cabin ventilation; Harris’s suit notes that other models can expose cabins to heated jet engine oil and related chemicals.
The lawsuit alleges Harris became nauseous on the flight and vomited into a plastic bag while still seated; another passenger also vomited, and the captain apologized over the intercom for the odor. Since the incident, Harris says he has experienced dizziness, confusion, nausea, muscle pain, vertigo, memory loss and other symptoms, along with mental anguish, depression, anxiety and lost wages.
Harris, an associate law professor at Temple University, filed the suit in Arlington County, Virginia, circuit court seeking $40 million in damages plus attorneys’ fees. Boeing and Delta declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Separately, in September Delta announced it would replace auxiliary power units on 300 Airbus A320 aircraft to address reported toxic fume incidents.
Edited by Alain Sherter
