Cancers Strike US Fighter Pilots, Crews at Higher Rates, Air Force Finds
Nearly 30% higher likelihood of testicular cancer and roughly 25% for skin and prostate cancer, according to the military’s most comprehensive study yet.
By Tara Copp
Senior Pentagon Reporter, Defense One
October 24, 2021 09:44 AM ET
U.S. Air Force fighter pilots and crew members are far more likely to be diagnosed with certain types of cancers than their fellow airmen, according to the most comprehensive military study to date.
The study is the first confirmation of a connection long suspected by fighter aviators who saw their peers contracting some cancers at concerning rates. Earlier, less comprehensive studies had proven inconclusive.
The study also identified at least one airframe—the F-100 Super Sabre—whose crews faced higher rates of almost all types of cancer compared to both their non-flying fellow airmen and the general population.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/10/cancers-strike-us-fighter-pilots-crews-higher-rates-air-force-finds/186324/
