Military Aviation Linked to Increased Cancer Risk.

A Pentagon study has found high rates of cancer among military pilots and ground crews who fuel, maintain and launch those aircraft. The study of almost 900,000 service members who flew on or worked on military aircraft between 1992 and 2017 found that air crew members had an 87% higher rate of melanoma and a 39% higher rate of thyroid cancer, while men had a 16% higher rate of prostate cancer and women a 16% higher rate of breast cancer. 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, while women had a 7% higher rate of breast cancer. The Pentagon must conduct an even bigger review to try to understand why the crews are getting sick.