At first glance, the outfits issued to Delta staff in May 2018 resembled superhero costumes. They were ultra-stretchy, brightly colored, designed for flying, and dizzyingly high-tech. And they resisted almost everything—wrinkles, water, stains, and static alike. They even self-deodorized. But these magic uniforms, worn today by roughly 64,000 Delta employees, including flight attendants, Sky Club staff, gate agents, and so on, have additional, much more concerning properties.
Over 500 Delta staff members say the chemicals used to give their uniforms these futuristic qualities have made them sick. They’re now suing the manufacturer, Lands’ End, for charges including negligence and “strict design defects” over the uniforms, which they say “pose an ongoing, unreasonable risks of physical harm…including threatening the [employees] with future serious health problems because of an allergic and/or sensitization response.”
Online, workers posted images of angry red rashes, and, in a class action suit filed Dec. 31, they shared stories of breathing difficulties, skin blisters, vocal cord problems, blurred vision, nosebleeds, ringing ears, migraine headaches, and fatigue. The problems continue to this day, they said.
