Top Senate Democrats demand airlines carry EpiPens on flights
(CNN) - A trio of top Senate Democrats is demanding that the federal government require airlines to carry epinephrine auto-injectors - such as EpiPens - on board commercial flights.
In a letter shared first with CNN, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer and Ed Markey tell the Federal Aviation Administration it has a "glaring gap" in its requirements for what is carried as part of in-flight emergency kits, which "puts airline passengers at risk."
Epinephrine auto-injectors treat a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. The letter says FAA standards last updated in 2004 only require that airlines carry epinephrine in syringes "designed to be used primarily in the event of a cardiac emergency."
"We urge you to amend the current standing regulation to require that epinephrine auto-injectors be included in the emergency medical kit of every flight, as well as engage in regular review of medical kit requirements," the letter reads.
Alexa Jordon was on a flight from Boston to Chicago in May 2019 when she ate a salad she bought in the airport that wasn't supposed to contain tree nuts, to which she is allergic. After using her own EpiPen that she carried on board, "my throat remained extremely tight, and I was terrified that it would not improve without a second shot," Jordon said.
The Association of Flight Attendants, a labor union representing flight attendants from United Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Alaska Airlines, says it has "long advocated" for Congress and the FAA to "review and make recommendations to the list of medications required onboard including allergy pens."
A 2018 study published in the medical journal JAMA found in-flight medical emergencies occur on about one in every 604 flights, and allergic reactions occur "often," accounting for 1.6% of those emergencies.
The Transportation Security Administration allows passengers to bring "medically necessary" EpiPens through airport security checkpoints.