Contrails spread by fleets of jet aircraft in elaborate cross-hatched patterns are sparking speculation and making people sick across the United States. Washington state resident William Wallace became ill with severe diarrhea and fatigue after watching several multi-engine jets spend New Year's day laying cloud lines in an east to west grid pattern. A neighbor working outside came down with similar symptoms.
Contrails can form through the addition of water vapor to the air from the jet engine exhaust.
Even tiny nuclei released in the exhaust fumes may be sufficient to generate ice crystals, and hence, condensation trails. Wallace wonders if ethylene dibromide, a highly toxic component of JP-8 jet fuel, is making people sick. But the strange spray patterns are being reported repeatedly over towns in Tennessee, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma, Washington state and California. My eyes watered. Fluid came out of my nose.