Pentagon scientists have found that military pilots and ground crews who refuel and maintain military aircraft are more likely to develop certain types of cancer. It has been reported Associated press.
The study’s authors analyzed information on cancer incidence in nearly 900,000 military personnel who served from 1992 to 2017. Their performance was compared to the US average.
The study found that aircrew had a 24% higher rate of cancer across all species and a 3% higher rate for ground crew.
Some types of cancer are particularly common. For example, aircraft crew members were 87% more likely to develop melanoma and 39% more likely to develop thyroid cancer than the U.S. population as a whole. Aircrew men had a 16% higher incidence of prostate cancer.
The incidence of breast cancer was 16% and 7% higher in crew or ground crew women, respectively.
Overall, ground crew members were 19% more likely to develop brain cancer. At the same time, ground crews and crew members became less likely to get lung cancer. The incidence of bladder and colon cancer among flight crews also decreased.
The scientists noted that the actual number of cases could be even higher due to data gaps. Also, their findings do not imply that military service in air or ground crews causes cancer, but simply shows an association and highlights the need for further research.