B757-200
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Physiological - Other
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Weight And Balance; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Flight Crew Returned To Gate; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Evacuated; General Maintenance Action; General Declared Emergency
Aircraft; Human Factors
We were climbing through FL210 on a long range flight when the Lead Flight Attendant reported three sick flight attendants in the rear galley due to odors. We declared emergency; turned around; ran Smoke and Fumes and Heavy Weight Landing Checklist and landed at our departure airport.The odor described; as 'body odor' i.e. sweat; appeared in rear galley. It was also noted at about Row 16 and one passenger reported it in the rear lavatory. On gear extension; both Lead Flight Attendant in forward galley and the Relief Pilot in cockpit noticed the odor. After landing--with equipment standing by--we taxied to gate and medics met the aircraft after a delay in getting the door open due to Customs. Flight Attendant 'A' was nauseous with headache and felt really bad. Flight Attendant 'B'  had a headache and Flight Attendant 'C' was already over it. The Relief Pilot reported a headache after landing. No passengers reported any sickness. The three flight attendants were made to go to Emergency Room because they could not continue crew day. They returned to join us at hotel about 4 hours later.[The inbound crew had] talked to Maintenance about a body odor smell on approach. It was not reported to the Captain until after landing. They had a all crew conference call with Maintenance about the odor and decided it was condensation on ceiling and no write-up was made. Maintenance assured me they had inspected and looked at everything and there was no history going back 240 days. Make logbook write-ups concerning odors. Solve this odor problem. This is my second incident of sick flight attendants. Also something needs to be worked out with Customs. They kept the people on the aircraft about 30 minutes after we were at the gate as they had nowhere to put them. If any passengers had gotten sick or odor continued we might have done an evacuation of 179 people on the ramp.
...the aircraft needs to really have an overhaul.  This problem is reported all the time by flight crews and I feel it is not being addressed properly.
When; midway through the climb; several flight attendants and a passenger complained of physiological reactions to an obnoxious 'body odor' smell; primarily in the area of the aft galley and lavs; the transatlantic flight was turned back to the departure airport where several individuals were taken to the hospital for examination.  Both reporters stressed the recurring nature of such events.