In the memorial service in 2022, the veteran of the Captain of the Monte-Uotts Air Force stumbled upon the former former operator of the Minuteman III nuclear missile, who told him that she had a non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Watts knew other missiles with similar types of cancer. But the connection really struck home in the same January, when the results of the blood test showed that the Watts had in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, such as non -Hodgkinsky lymphoma.
“I don’t know if it was ironic or random or what is the right word, but it was there,” said Watts.
In the community of American military personnel who cooperate in nuclear missile silos, scattered through the northern rocky mountains and great plains, suspicions made suspicions for a long time that their jobs were unsafe. Only a few months after Watts was diagnosed in 2022, Lieutenant Colonel Danny Sebek, a former Air Force missiles, who moved to the US space forces, wrote a brief description of the potential cancer cluster among people who served in Minuteman III controls based on Malmstrom air force in Montan.
Sebacko is identified 36 former workers Which served mainly from 1993 to 2011, and he was diagnosed with cancer, including him. Of these, 11 had a non -Hodgkin lymphoma; Three died. The Air Force quickly reacted to the conclusions of Sebek, Launch of mass investigation In cases of cancer and the environment on three intercontinental ballistic missile bases and the California starting facility. The goal is to complete the study by the end of 2025.
The service released parts of the study, as they conclude, conducting online rates and briefings to emphasize its conclusions. But while former missiles say that they are inspired by a quick answer, they are still concerned that the study that crosses decades and includes thousands of ICBM employees and administrative workers can consider too large the population or use statistical tests that will not show the connection between their diseases and their military service.
They need this connection to speed up the benefits from the Department of Veterans.
Historically, the Ministry of Defense is in no hurry to recognize potential diseases of the environment. Veterans were caused by the influence of the orange agent in Vietnam, the marine infantrymen who drank polluted water in the Camp, Severnaya Carolina, and the military who lived and worked near the burns in Iraq, and Afghanistan fought for many years so that their diseases were recognized as related to the military service.
In the case of Air Force missiles, potential pollution and cancer in Malmstrom in 2001 And 2005The field of this study came to the conclusion that the assembly centers were “safe and healthy working environments”. But with the presentation of Sebek and the decision to conduct a further investigation, the command of the Global Strike Air Force division, responsible for managing nuclear missiles and nuclear weapons based on airplanes, which may not have included a rather large selection of medical records to be comprehensive.
Sebek, who is the co-director of the initiative of Torchlight, a propaganda group that supports ICBM staff and their families, told the democrats of Congress April 8 The fact that the Ministry of Defense does not accurately monitor the impact on the community, which complicates the veterans to prove communication and get VA in the field of healthcare and disability compensation.
“I had to go to the VA person and withdraw several documents,” said Sebek, referring to the government system for registering environmental risks of service members. “It says that I visited Poland once. It is not mentioned that I pulled out 148 notifications at the control center by launch with polychlored bifeniles and with this contaminated air and water. ”
PHD
PCD is synthetic chemicals that are once used in industry, including electrical missile control components, such as display, keyboard screens and automatic circuit breakers. They have been banned for production since 1979, according to an agency for environmental protection, which is considered toxic and probable carcinogen.
The study of the cancer of the Air Force Cancer Compares 14 types of general cancer diseases in the general population of the United States and the missile community, and also studies the environment based on the MALMSTROM Air Force in Montan, the UVS Air Force in Wyomine, the BAS of the Minot Air Force in the Northern Dakot and the Vandenberg spatial forces in California in California, to determine, to determine, to determine, to determine, to determine. Whether they contributed to the risk of cancer.
Malmster, Warren and the Mino-Mino Minuteman III field missiles, the US ground nuclear triad, which also includes nuclear weapons captured by underwater and aircraft. The missiles are placed in bunkers distributed in parts of Montana, Northern Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraski, equipped around the clock, from missiles working from underground, bunker launch control centers.
So far, the investigation of the Air Force has discovered No “statistically increased” deaths From cancer in the missile community in comparison with the population as a whole, and he found that mortality rate for four types of general cancer-Nedhodkinsky lymphoma, lungs, colon and rectum and prostate cancer were significantly lower than in the general population.
The Nekhokkinsky lymphoma amounted to approximately 5.8% of all cancer deaths among people who worked in the launch control centers from January 1979 to December 2020.
The early results obtained as a result of the medical records of the Ministry of Defense found increased indicators of breast and prostate cancer in the missile community, but a later analysis, including additional data, did not support these conclusions. Studies also did not find increased indicators of non -Rhodkhkinsky lymphoma. However, the Air Force officials were noted during the online Ratushi on June 4 that these estimates are based on half of the data that the service is counting on its final epidemiological reports and are warned against conclusions, taking into account the restrictions.
The final report on cases of incidence will include federal data and public data, including information from civilian cancer registers, and deepening into subgroups and influences that can “give a deeper idea of complex relations” between the service in the missile community and the risk of cancer, wrote Richard Spicman Colonel in the 2024 memoranet memory of epidemiology.
General Thomas Boussier, the commander of Global Strike Command, said during the town hall in June that only the final results would determine whether the cancer of the missile community cancer is higher than in the general population.
Some lawmakers share the concern of rocket launchers regarding the study of the Air Force. After release Review of the University of North Carolina Torchlight initiatives, which showed higher indicators of non-Rhodkhkinsky lymphoma-in more young age-old Malmstrom missiles, member of the House of Representatives of Don Bacon (R-neb.) introduced an amendment The bill on protection calling for the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to consider health and safety conditions in institutions.
“Let's make sure that we have some external experts working with the Air Force studying cancer indicators with our ICBM missions,” Bacon published on July 30 on the social platform X. “We want to ensure confidence and that the results are released, we have made a complete proper maintenance.”
As for additional studies in the working environment in the installations and the possible connection between the impact and risk of cancer, Speakman, which commands the Air Force aerospace medicine school, said that Malmsstrom had two types of printed circuit boards, which two other missile wings had no.
He added that the benzene found in cigarette smoke, exhaust gas and gasoline falls was the largest participant in the risk of cancer in bases.
The assessment came to the conclusion that the risks of health of the missiles are “low, but this is not zero,” said Spicman. He said that it would be advisable to control the health of employees to control launch.
The following steps
Watts, whose history was emphasized by the initiative of Torchlight, asked the general inspector of the Ministry of Defense to conduct an investigation – the guard agency sent his request to Global Strike Command – and carefully monitors the research of the Air Force. He said that the main part of the cancer cases reported in the torch occurred in the 2000s, when the ICBM personnel used the technology contained PCD, burned secret materials such as processed paper and plastic indoor encoding devices, and possibly exposed to contaminated water.
“I open the door, and there are guys standing there in emphasized costumes with sampling equipment,” recalls Watts. “They said:“ We are here to check the polluted water. ” I look at the commander with my team, and we stand there in a cotton form.
The launch control operators no longer burn the room tapes in the room, and the Air Force largely improved air circulation in centers. Sebek wants the Congress to consider the consideration of doctors and others, how he pushes the influence of basic pollution in the law on the contract, the famous legislation, which obliges healthcare and benefits for veterans drowned with burns and other pollutants.
“It is officially documented that there is a large cancer cluster in Montana, probably also in Wyoming. People act in surprise, but all they need to do is go to the oncology office in Denver. I can find my friends there. We are sitting on the same chairs that receive chemotherapy, ”said Sebek.
Representative of the Air Force Global Strike Maj command. Lauren Linskott said in response to Sebek’s remarks that the unit understands the influence of cancer on his staff and seeks to support them.
“Despite the fact that the current conclusions are preliminary, and there are still no conclusions, we are devoted to a strict, reviewed process controlled by the data to better understand potential health risks, because the safety of our pilots is our main priority,” Linskotta said.
The bills submitted in the ward and the Senate will consider the situation. In addition to the Bacon amendment, the Senate version of the annual bill on defense policies will need to “deeply clean” the launch management centers every five years, until the sites are decommissioned as the new ICBM, Sentinel, replaces the minuteman IIIS.
The Air Force seeks to release its last epidemiological report by the end of the year.
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