An FAA order to remove supplemental oxygen from airline lavatories puts
passengers and crew at risk, the Association of Flight Attendants told
USA Today last week. The order, made earlier this year in conjunction
with the FBI and TSA, was a "precautionary measure," the FAA said,
because the chemical oxygen generators were easily accessible and could
be "manipulated to create a flight hazard." The backup plan, if an
aircraft decompresses at altitude and passengers or crew members are in
the lavatory, is for flight attendants to assist them -- but the AFA
says by the time it's safe for them to do so, it might already be too
late.

According to the FAA, exposure to cabin altitudes in excess of 25,000
feet for more than two minutes without supplemental oxygen can cause
permanent brain damage. Most people would be unconscious within 3 to 10
minutes. The AFA says F/A training stipulates that in the event of a
decompression, attendants should grab the nearest available fixed oxygen
mask and remain there until a pilot says it's safe to move about the
cabin and assist passengers. Only then could the F/As retrieve a
portable mask to help the lavatory occupants. The FAA said it's working
with aircraft manufacturers to develop and approve a secure lavatory
oxygen system, but that could take up to four years. In the meantime,
the FAA said, "the slight risk to a small number of individuals is
outweighed by the elimination of a greater security risk."

http://goo.gl/5If0P

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