Higher cancer rates found in military pilots, ground crews

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Pentagon study has found high rates of cancer among military pilots and, for the first time, shows that ground crews who fuel, maintain and launch those aircraft are also getting sick.

The data had long been sought by retired military aviators who have raised alarms for years about the number of those they knew who had cancer.

In its yearlong study of almost 900,000 service members who flew on or worked on military aircraft between 1992 and 2017, the Pentagon found significantly higher rates of melanoma, thyroid, brain, prostate and breast cancers.

The findings now require an even larger review to try to identify the causes.