EMB ERJ 145 ER/LR
Flight Attendant Current
Confusion
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Passenger Electronic Device
General None Reported / Taken
Company Policy; Human Factors
About 30 minutes into flight while doing beverage service I noticed a passenger wearing a personal air purifier on a lanyard around her neck. I asked her what it was and she said it was for medical purposes. She said she had called us to check if she could use it on the plane. She was told by the agent on the phone that she could. Her doctor advised her to wear it as she is a cancer patient. The product is about the size of a cigarette lighter and called 'Air Tamer.' She said her doctor asked her to use it during the flight as it was easier to use than portable oxygen. I checked with the Captain and he said he never heard about such a device. The First Officer checked his manual and could not find this item. According to our Flight Attendant In-Flight Manual; if it's not on the approved electronic list then it's not an approved device.I recalled seeing it hanging on a lanyard around her neck as she boarded the plane but did not realized that it was the personal air purifier and so did not check with Captain before we took off. We need a guideline and protocol to handle such incidents and agents need to know what to look out for. Also not sure if it's an approved medical device or an electronic device.
A Flight Attendant noted a passenger wearing a portable air purifier and was unable to determine if its use in flight was appropriate.