B727-200 ACFT IN CRUISE. CHEMICAL ODOR NOTED BY FLT CREW CAUSING TINGLING; HEADACHE AND NAUSEA OF FLT CREW. POST FLT INSPECTION REVEALED A LEAKING 'RAINBOW' CANISTER IN THE COCKPIT RELEASING TOXIC FUMES.

Narrative

PRIOR TO THE START OF DSCNT INTO BRADLEY INTL ARPT; A MOMENTARY CHEMICAL SMELL WAS NOTICED BY THE CAPT AND FO. AFTER BLOCK-IN; THE CAPT COMPLAINED OF TINGLING LIPS; THE FO OF A HEADACHE AND NAUSEA; AND THE FLT ENGINEER OF A HEADACHE; RASPY THROAT AND NAUSEA. ADDITIONALLY; OUR ACR NOTIFIED US IMMEDIATELY AFTER BLOCK-IN OF AN UNDISCLOSED HAZARDOUS MATERIAL PACKAGE. THE HAZARDOUS MATERIAL WAS IDENTIFIED AS HYDROCHLORIC ACID. THE PACKAGE WAS INSPECTED BY ACR. NO OBVIOUS LEAKS OF FUMES WERE DISCOVERED. THE STATION MANAGER NOTICED AN ABNORMAL SMELL UPON ENTERING THE ACFT TO DISCUSS OUR PLAN OF ACTION. THE AIA OPERATIONS MANAGER; CREW SCHEDULER; HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPECIALIST; AND B-727 FLEET MANAGER WERE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO HAVE THE ACFT DOWNLOADED AND PROCEED TO THE HOSPITAL. THE BRADLEY INTL ARPT AUTH WAS NOTIFIED. THE ACFT AND CARGO WERE INSPECTED BY THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THEN TRANSPORTED THE CREW TO THE HOSPITAL. AT APPROXIMATELY XA00 THE DOCTOR AT THE HOSPITAL NOTIFIED US THAT RAINBOW WAS DISCOVERED. THIS COMPOUND WAS ALLEGEDLY CONTAINED IN THE FLUID UTILIZED TO WASH THE ACFT WINDOWS. THE CREW WAS RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL AFTER XC00 AND RETURNED TO THE HOTEL VIA TAXI. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CAPT RPTR HAD JUST RECEIVED CURRENT INFO FROM HIS COMPANY SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE WHO; AS RPTR SAYS; WAS A BULLDOG IN DOGGING MAINT TO EXPEDITE REMOVAL OF THE RAINBOW CANISTERS. THEIR COMPANY HAD BEEN NOTIFIED IN MAY OF 1995 BY THE FAA TO REMOVE THE RAINBOW. BUT; DUE TO COMPANY MANAGEMENT CHANGES THEY HAD BEEN SLOW IN CARRYING OUT THE RECOMMENDATION BY THE FAA. THE CANISTER WAS LEAKING WHICH CAUSED THE DISCOMFORT TO THE FLT CREW; BUT THERE WERE NO LASTING EFFECTS.