The Air Force has released initial data on cancer diagnoses among troops who were involved with nuclear missiles, revealing that the numbers are lower than expected. In the ongoing review, the Air Force has identified 23 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma among service members who operated, maintained, or supported silo-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The review focused on missile community personnel who used the military health care system from 2001 to 2021, totaling around 84,000 individuals. This group includes missileers, who spend extended periods underground in launch control capsules, ready to launch missiles if ordered by the president.
The investigation was prompted by reports in January 2023 of nine missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The 23 cases identified so far are lower than expected when compared to incidence rates in the general U.S. population over the same 20-year period.
The study does not yet include data from state cancer registries and the Department of Veterans Affairs, limiting the reported numbers. Additionally, only active duty personnel, their dependents, and qualifying retirees are covered by the military health care system, potentially excluding some service members who were diagnosed after leaving the military.
The Torchlight Initiative, an advocacy group within the nuclear missile community, has been pushing for answers on the cancer cases and has identified hundreds of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases among its members. Concerns have been raised by missileers about the safety of the underground capsules they work in, which were constructed in the 1960s under older environmental standards and may have exposed them to toxic substances.
An investigation by the Associated Press in December revealed that despite official Air Force statements from 2001 to 2005 assuring the safety of the capsules, environmental records indicated regular reports of exposure to asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and other cancer-linked hazards in the underground facilities. The Air Force's review of cancer cases among personnel involved in the nuclear missile mission is ongoing.
