Photo By Staff Sgt. Shelby Thurman | A graphic created in Adobe Illustrator released online October 22, 2024, announcing...... read more read more
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The United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM) completed its third round of environmental sampling for the Missile Community Cancer Study in August, finding low levels of volatile organic compounds in a limited number of samples and non-detectable levels of all other contaminates in drinking water, soil and air samples.
The latest survey detected trace levels of volatile organic compounds in approximately 1 percent of samples taken in Launch Control Centers and Missile Alert Facilities. In every case, the levels detected were below 5 percent of the recommended Threshold Limit Value, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration-endorsed method for assessing exposure limits for adults without experiencing adverse health effects. The levels detected in the survey are not assessed to present a health hazard.
Volatile organic compounds, commonly abbreviated as VOCs, are a family of chemicals that easily turn into a gas and can cause irritation or negative health effects if inhaled. VOCs are commonly used in commercial and industrial settings as solvents, fuels, aerosol sprays and cleaning agents, and different compounds have different threshold limit values for safe exposure.
“This third round of sampling helps us capture seasonal variations in our LCCs and MAFs,” said General Thomas A. Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. “Across all three rounds of sampling, we’ve learned a great deal about our facilities and what compounds are present in them, and most importantly how we can clean-up or mitigate those compounds to ensure our Strikers have a safe work environment.”
Virtual Town Hall to discuss Epidemiological Study Phase IB
The command also announced the date for the next MCCS virtual Town Hall (VTH), which will take place Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. CDT. The Town Hall will discuss the results of Phase 1B of the MCCS Epidemiological Study.
USAFSAM is conducting an Epidemiological review of cancer cases within the missileer community, including both currently serving members and veterans. The review is occurring in multiple phases, with each subsequent phase incorporating data from larger and larger data sets. Phase 1A, which was completed in February, used data on cancer incidence rates available in the military healthcare system and Tricare covering 2001-2020. Phase 1A was unable to make definitive conclusions regarding cancer rates due to the limited size of its dataset, but the trend observed in that data suggested that breast cancer and prostate cancer are trending slightly higher than the national average, while non-Hodgkin Lymphoma showed no increased incidence.
Phase 1B will add U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical records covering 1991-2020, the DoD Cancer Registry from 1986-2020, and the Veterans Affairs Central Cancer Registry, covering 1976 to 2020. The draft Phase 1B report was completed in September by USAFSAM researchers, with external review provided by independent research partners at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and Wright State University.
“We won’t be able to make definitive statements about cancer incidence among the missile community until after we complete the Epidemiological study,” said Col. Richard Speakman, USAFSAM commander, “but we know from previous studies that military members do have higher rates of certain cancers. Hopefully this study will increase our awareness of any higher risk and enable Airmen, Guardians and their families to make informed decisions.”
Information on how to attend the Virtual Town Hall will be posted on the Missile Community Cancer Study website: https://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/Resources/Missile-Community-Cancer-Study/
The livestream can also be accessed directly through the link: https://zoom.us/j/6724076228?pwd=aFpoN2Z2ODBEclFuK243YnJ6NnVrdz09&omn=97288685368
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| Date Taken: | 10.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.22.2024 14:02 |
| Story ID: | 483676 |
| Location: | BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, AFGSC announces round 3 environmental sampling results; Virtual Town Hall scheduled to discuss Epidemiological Study Phase 1B, by Trinity Beverly, Charles Hoffman, CMSgt Jared Marquis, Carla Pampe, SMSgt Larry Reid Jr., Lt. Col. John Severns, Joe Thomas, SSgt Shelby Thurman and Steven Wilson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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