WASHINGTON (AP) – A Pentagon study found high rates of cancer in military pilots, as well as the ground personnel who fuel, service and take off these planes. For the first time, it was shown to be ill.
This data has long been sought by retired military aviators who have sounded alarm bells about the number of known air and ground crew members with cancer for years. They were told that previous military studies had found they were not at greater risk than the general population of the United States.
The Department of Defense found that a year-long study of about 900,000 soldiers who flew or served in military aircraft between 1992 and 2017 had an 87 higher incidence of melanoma among aircrew than among 16-year-old males. % higher and found a 39% higher incidence of thyroid cancer. Incidence of prostate cancer is % higher and women have a 16% higher incidence of breast cancer. Overall, flight attendants had a 24% higher incidence of all types of cancer. In this study, ground crew had a 19% higher incidence of brain and nervous system cancer, a 15% higher incidence of thyroid cancer, a 9% higher incidence of kidney or renal cancer, and a 9% higher incidence of breast cancer in women. was shown to be 7% higher. cancer is detected. The overall incidence of all cancer types was 3% higher.
There was also a happy report. Both ground and air crew had much lower rates of lung cancer, and air crew also had lower rates of bladder and colon cancer.
The Pentagon says the new investigation is one of the largest and most comprehensive to date. Whereas the previous study only included Air Force pilots and found a higher incidence of cancer, this study included all service and both air and ground personnel. Despite a broader approach, the Pentagon warned that the actual number of cancers is likely higher because there are gaps in the data they are trying to fill.
When Navy Captain Jim Seaman returned home from duty on an aircraft carrier, his gear smelled of kerosene, said his widow Betty Seaman. The A-6 Intruder pilot died of lung cancer in 2018 at the age of 61. Betty Seaman is still storing her gear, and she smells fuel.
You and others are wondering if there is a connection. She said crew members are talking about the fact that even the ship’s water system smells of fuel.
She and others have mixed feelings about being able to finally see in the data what they had suspected for years about airplane cancer. And you can do a lot of things,” she said. The study found that crew members diagnosed with cancer were more likely to survive than members of the general population. This is because they are more likely to be in good health as they are diagnosed earlier and require regular check-ups. their military fitness requirements.
The Department of Defense has acknowledged that there are gaps in the study that may lead to an underestimation of cancer cases.
The military health system database used in this study did not have reliable cancer data until 1990, so pilots who flew early-generation jets in previous decades may not have been included.
After her husband fell ill, Betty Seaman asked him if he changed his mind, knowing his work could be linked to his cancer.
“I asked Jim directly,” she said. And he said without hesitation, ‘I would have done it anyway.’ ”
