Rising cancer rates among US military pilots.
Pentagon’s new findings show an increase in the number of cancer cases among US military pilots.
New findings from the Pentagon (US Department of Defense) show a high rate of cancer among US military pilots.
For the first time, it has been determined that ground crews who refuel, maintain and launch military aircraft also get cancer, the New Times website wrote on Sunday.
In a year-long study of 900,000 service members who flew or worked on military aircraft between 1992 and 2017, the Pentagon found that aircrew members were more likely to develop thyroid cancer, according to the report. Breast and prostate cancers are also less common among US Air Force personnel.
This study showed that ground crews are also involved with brain and nervous system and kidney cancers, while women working in the army are more affected by breast cancer.
The Pentagon announced that the new study was one of the largest and most comprehensive to date. The previous study only looked at Air Force pilots and found higher cancer rates, while this study looked at both air and ground crew. The Pentagon has warned that the actual number of cancer cases is likely to be higher.
Aviation crews have long asked the Pentagon to review some of the environmental factors they are exposed to, such as jet fuel and solvents used to clean and maintain jet components and sensors.
