The Air Force is reporting the first data on cancer diagnoses among troops who worked with nuclear missiles.
FILE - In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, Airman 1st Class Jackson Ligon, 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron technician, examines the internals of an intercontinental ballistic missile during a Simulated Electronic Launch-Minuteman test Sept. 22, 2020, at a launch facility near Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Mont. While the data is only about 25% complete, the Air Force on March 13, 2024, said the numbers are lower than they would have expected.
Within that community about 8,000 served as missileers, young men and women who are underground in launch control capsules for 24 to 48 hours at a time — ready to fire the silo-based Minuteman missiles if ordered to by the president. The Air Force review of cancers among service members who are assigned to its nuclear missile mission was prompted by January 2023 reports thatThe 23 cases identified so far are lower than what would be expected over the 20-year time frame when compared to similar incidence rates in the U.S. general population, the Air Force said.
It also did not identify how many of those 23 cases were found among the smaller missileer population versus among the larger pool of service members who support the nuclear mission. The Air Force has emphasized that it still doesn't have all the data. The study does not yet include state cancer registry and Department of Veterans Affairs data, which limits what numbers are reported. The military health care system only serves active duty personnel, their dependents and qualifying retirees, meaning that service members who left the military before they had completed 20 years of service, but who were diagnosed after they left, may not be included in these numbers.
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