Commercial Fixed Wing
Physiological - Other
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
General Flight Cancelled / Delayed; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Environment - Non Weather Related
I was on the plane finishing up pre-flighting my emergency equipment. Pilot calls back to ask if we smell a 'dirty sock' like odor in the cabin. Me and the B Flight Attendant check and report back that the cabin does have a dirty sock odor. Odor was coming from the aircraft. Pilots turned off aircraft. Pilots ask us to report if conditions worsen. During boarding the smells get worse so I reported it to pilots who called it in. My eyes were starting to burn and I was starting to feel woozy. The B Flight Attendant also was starting to feel woozy and getting a headache. All guests deplaned and almost three hours later flight was canceled. Pilots were the first to find the issue and did an excellent job in reporting it right away and ensuring the safety of everybody on the aircraft.
Flight Attendant crew smelled a strong odor throughout the cabin; mainly concentrated in the middle of the cabin. It smelled like dirty socks; musty; and possibly fuel or oil. The pilots contacted us in the cabin to ask us if we smelled anything; indicating that they were aware there was an issue. We verified that the odor was strong. Boarding of passengers had begun but boarding was paused partway through; since the pilots said maintenance would need to be done; so we would have to deplane. During all this time; I noticed that I was feeling a slight headache in my forehead; and then soon after I noticed I was feeling somewhat light-headed and foggy. I checked in with the other flight attendants; and they said they were experiencing similar symptoms. Symptoms seemed a bit more severe with myself and the C Flight Attendant; as we were bouncing between the mid to aft cabin. The A Flight Attendant suggested that her symptoms might be not as bad since she was standing by L1 door which was open to fresh air. In total; the Flight Attendant crew was on the plane for about one hour and fifteen minutes before we deplaned ourselves; as the smell was getting worse during Maintenance. The physical symptoms were still present after we deplaned and for the entire time we waited in the ZZZ terminal and were ongoing even after we left the airport when Crew Scheduling released us from duty.
Flight Attendant reported a 'dirty socks' odor and experiencing health issues during passenger boarding.