Military pilots and ground crews showing high rates of cancer, Pentagon study reveals

Fox

But in a yearlong study of almost 900,000 service members who flew on or worked on military aircraft between 1992 and 2017, the Pentagon found that air crew members had an 87% higher rate of melanoma and a 39% higher rate of thyroid cancer, as the AP reported.

Meanwhile, men had a 16% higher rate of prostate cancer and women a 16% higher rate of breast cancer.

Overall, the air crews had a 24% higher rate of cancer of all types, according to the AP.

The study showed ground crews had a 19% higher rate of brain and nervous system cancers, a 15% higher rate of thyroid cancer and a 9% higher rate of kidney or renal cancers.Women, meanwhile, had a 7% higher rate of breast cancer, the same study found.

The overall rate for cancers of all types was 3% higher, the AP noted.

As a guy that was ground crew as well as aircrew this is a little concerning just figured I would share it for any other vets here or people with family that were aircrew or ground crew.

There was some good news, however, reported as well.

Both ground and air crews had far lower rates of lung cancer, and air crews also had lower rates of bladder and colon cancers.

This part surprised me, not for aircrew with the lung cancer but considering all the junk I inhaled from engine exhaust.

If you fit one of these two groups or have people you care about that do make sure they talk with their doctor and stop sucking it taking motrin and water and pressing on.

a reply to: Irishhaf


Ummm...probably those depleted uranium rounds they load...handle...and suck up the dust from...


Or it could be something else entirely...


Or not...





YouSir

a reply to: YouSir
Various high output EM fields will be a part of that I'm guessing.

This is not that unusual! Helicopter pilots suffer from back problems, hemorrhoids and hearing loss. I suspect that skin cancer has a higher incidence among helicopter drivers as well.

In civil flying, you work in an environment where direct sunlight is less filtered as a normal person on the ground.

There has to be massive amounts of Radiation coming off of these Aircraft .

The Radar systems and Communications systems alone are enough to cause issues .

So yeah this is not surprising , My time in the Military working around Radios they told us upfront there was a good chance we would be Sterile .

Skin cancer meh whatever expected that.

Thyroid, prostate, kidney and renal on the other hand was a bit surprising at the levels they found.

I always expected I would get cancer at some point family history makes it almost a certainty.

Family has a gene mutation that makes me more susceptible to thyroid problems, father had prostate cancer yay me.

Also its not the ammo used on some aircraft, its things like PD680, engine oil, aircraft grease, jp8, hydraulic fluid etc are all medium to high levels of a carcinogen.

But it is important that the pentagon has finally acknowledged the reality on the ground.

a reply to: buddah6

I suspect that skin cancer has a higher incidence among helicopter drivers as well.

Probably not a relevant factor in choppers.
They aren't like planes flying above the clouds in high radiation.
But they do have a more open cockpit and windshield, so I bet they are as dangerous as normal sun exposure rates.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Not to mention some of the cleaners used in wash rack (an area or hangar to wash aircraft).

I recall a real nasty brake dust emulsifier called "ED 10". It was dispensed from 55 gallon drums in a angled rack that contained other drums of cleaners and solvents. We had to use a rubber bucket with this stuff because it was that corrosive.

It poured out like syrup but if you left it out in the ambient air, it would become gelatinous.

If you got even a light drop of this stuff in your eye or mouth, you'd be out for a week. Some airmen who don't like washing planes for three months would use this tactic to get out of doing it.

I worked on "E" model C-130s that had seen time in Vietnam! The airframes were utter pigs and leaked hydraulic fluid all the time, especially from the aileron boost pack.

We never used gloves like people use latex or nitrile now, so most things just soaked in through the skin.

Who knows what long term damage is caused by the cocktail of chemicals we were exposed to. When you're young, motivated and focused on the mission, you don't worry about any of this stuff.

a reply to: EternalShadow

Never encountered that one but in my first few years on the B-52 we had to use PD680 to get the grime off the engines at wash rack, around year 8-10 (for me) the epa decided it could potentially increase risk of cancer and it was removed from washrack.

LOL anyone that read the msds knew it caused cancer and yea being in louisiana nobody wore the protective gear, to hot and humid.

originally posted by: asabuvsobelow
There has to be massive amounts of Radiation coming off of these Aircraft .

The Radar systems and Communications systems alone are enough to cause issues .

So yeah this is not surprising , My time in the Military working around Radios they told us upfront there was a good chance we would be Sterile .

Ummm...and never...ever...hang around the antenna's and dishes while transmitting...



YouSir

a reply to: YouSir

yea more than one occasion walking towards the jet and suddenly arm pits and groin start sweating, more than a few fist fights on the flightline over people being dangerous.

a reply to: EternalShadow

Skydrol used to be particularly nasty.

a reply to: Zaphod58

When i did civilian depot on a navy jet they used skydrol, 1 time was enough they said you could pull everything out of the jet and make the same as an a&p and not have to touch skydrol, I said move me..

I read the stealth coatings are not really healthy either.

a reply to: Irishhaf

I don’t blame you one bit. Everything about that stuff was vile.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: EternalShadow

Skydrol used to be particularly nasty.

Gasp! The S word...
Nasty substance. Nasty, nasty indeed.


Lots of chemicals, sun exposure, EM exposure, etc pilots go through. Aviation is no trip to the organic farm.

a reply to: wavelength

It’s not, but I’d be back on the ramp in a second if I could.

To paraphrase an idiot who was paraphrasing a smart guy, "There's things we don't know that we don't know." Meaning the govt property regularly exposed to it in operation thereof. And that, I'm guessing, is another factor in the increase.

originally posted by: The GUT
a reply to: YouSir
Various high output EM fields will be a part of that I'm guessing.

The pilots didn’t turn off the radar on the ground.

That and the very little study with working around carbon fiber.