Date: 201704
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: ZME.ARTCC, TN
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: No Aircraft
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Distraction; Confusion; Situational Awareness
Second reporter function: Enroute
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Hazardous Material Violation; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: Routine Inspection
Result: General Physical Injury / Incapacitation; General Work Refused
Contributing factors: Company Policy; ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Environment - Non Weather Related; Equipment / Tooling
Primary problem: Company Policy

Narrative: Controllers at ZME began reporting a chemical odor in the control room. Our Front Line Manager (FLM) reported it to the Operations Manager who cavalierly told us 'all chemicals are within safety specifications'. Wonderful. The smell increased. We specifically requested the doors to the outside be opened at the very least. Nothing. We then saw some very well paid upper management types begin walking through the control room. The FAA representative from the Environmental Services who has been visiting us for two weeks told controllers after they mentioned the chemical odors that his main concern was the fact that they had folding tables in between the walls and the end radar scopes.After forty five minutes of this odor increasing controllers were reporting dizziness; light-headedness; and scratchy throats. This prompted 1.5 million dollars; approximate value in salary; of managers to walk to the end of our control room and prop the door open by approximately 14 inches. At this time our FLM began ordering us out of the control room on mandatory breaks as soon as anyone returned. She then paged me back after fifteen minutes. One of our controllers began dry-heaving and needed immediate release. This is when the huge industrial fans showed up and both doors to the outside opened wide. The smell was now throughout the entire building but very concentrated in and around the control room. Most controllers went outside on break to get fresh air. Most were cutting breaks very short so as to rotate controllers frequently. We worked without Assists and with sectors combined while breathing in large amounts of volatile chemicals which were known to cause light-headedness in some. Management was aware of the contractors using volatile chemicals upstairs. They had done the same thing yesterday. Apparently not affecting the rest of the building. As soon as controllers reported the smell; the stand up briefing should have been postponed; and action contemplated but no; the briefing continued. It was apparent after 15 minutes that this was a serious situation and yet no doors were opened to begin to bring relief. We have been briefed and briefed on the fact that we controllers are not allowed to walk around the backside of our building because of the contractor's use of volatile chemicals and the NOXIOUS FUMES THAT CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO US. So; outside in the wide open air chemicals are dangerous. Inside a sealed control room all chemicals are within safety specs.Management should have opened doors; canceled the pre-duty briefing; and immediately consulted Technicians about the situation. After fifteen minutes; my goodness the odor was so sickly sweet and strong. There should have been no hesitancy to open doors and get fans moving. It's one thing to smell these fumes and realize that if it's too much you can walk away; as did the managers. Controllers are stuck on a sector and can't leave if it becomes too much. That perspective was lost on managers.

Callback: Controller reported hazardous material was no longer in use; but some controllers still have not been approved to return to work by the Flight Surgeon.

Second narrative: I was working sectors around when a controller said he could smell an unusual odor. At first no one else in the area could smell anything but after a few minutes passed everyone in the area could smell a paint thinner type odor. As time progressed the odor became stronger and stronger. I began to feel uneasy and felt like my decisions and coordination were beginning to degrade. I took a break and around this time doors were being opened and fans brought in to ventilate the control room. After taking a longer than normal break at the direction of my supervisor I returned the control room where the odor of the unknown substance was still very strong and rotated through two Assist-side positions before relieving a controller and working that position for approximately 45 minutes.I began to feel a headache and light headed after 15 minutes and was catching myself getting call signs wrong and giving incorrect frequencies and in one instance an incorrect altitude; though in each instance I was able to correct the error. I took the first break offered and again took an approximately 45 minute break outdoors and after about 20 or so minutes of being outdoors began to feel my concentration and coordination were returning to nearly normal; though I still had a bit of headache and light headedness. I returned to the control room the final time around worked. After working with moderate complexity and for a while I could tell my performance was not where it needed to be. I was needing to correct myself and found myself over studying situations that didn't need it and it was causing my scan to completely break down. Eventually I would realize I was not scanning and catching up but not in the manner that I was used to from myself and was needing to scramble more with the traffic/complexity than I would normally not need to. I could see that traffic was starting to build and I took the first break that was offered. After approximately one hour on position I informed the FLM I needed to request sick leave because I did not feel that I was capable to preforming my duties. As I was getting up from position the final time I nearly dropped my coffee cup because the grip was weak and my motor coordination felt off. While on break the second time I heard other controllers from my area discussing the odor and they stated the odor was worse along the wall of the control room; away from the aisle. The vent fans were placed at each end of the aisle on the ends of the control room. All of the sectors I worked this day; two sectors are both physically located closest to the wall where the odor was worst. During the time that I was in the control room I was stuck in the most contaminated positions. I believe I was fortunate that during the entire time I was working I was not confronted with a situation that would have required quick reaction or a rapidly moving scan; such as someone deviating their altitude; because I honestly don't know that I would have noticed in time or would have been able to formulate a proper response. The biggest recommendation would be to not have the control room contaminated with industrial chemicals; but that is obviously not possible; mistakes will happen. Management should have been more closely monitoring the controllers in the control room to ensure they were able to adequately perform their duties. Also now if anything like that happens again we know that the positions along the wall will receive the least airflow and ventilation.  We should have evacuated the control room until the identity of the chemical was known; because we now know that initially it was not known; it was just assumed to be the chemicals which had already been approved for use. It could have been some kind of attack on the facility.


Synopsis: ZME Center controllers reported smelling strong chemical odors in the control room. The reporters felt ill from the fumes.