A link between military flying and cancer risk later in life would get renewed attention under new measures Congress is considering.
The measure — introduced as the “Aviator Cancers Examination Study Act” or ‘ACES’ — directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to study the 15% higher risk of cancer and associated mortality that other studies have found among active duty aircrews. The study will cover pilots, navigators, operators, and other aircrew who “regularly flew in a fixed-wing aircraft” in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
More specifically, the bipartisan bill introduced in January by Reps. August Pfluger (R-Texas) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) calls for the VA secretary to sign an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study the prevalence and mortality of brain, colon, rectal, kidney, lung, melanoma skin, pancreatic, testicular, prostate, thyroid, bladder, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancers. The study would also identify the types of exposures like chemicals, compounds, and agents associated with these cancers, according to the bill language.
“As a former Navy pilot, I understand the sacrifices aviators make every day, but the fact is we need to improve our understanding on some of the unseen risks facing aircrews,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) said in a press release when he introduced a Senate version of the bill in 2024.
The goal of the bill is to better understand the correlation between military service and cancer risks among aviators, aid in the development of interventions and screenings for troops, and
help inform policy around occupational safety measures, according to a fact sheet provided by Pflueger’s office.
“While evidence already shows a clear link between military aviation service and increased cancer risk, we need comprehensive data to better understand this correlation and properly care for our service members,” said Bethany Holden, a spokesperson for Pfluger told Task & Purpose.
A press release from Pflueger’s office references a 711th Human Performance Wing study which found that aviators have a higher risk of developing prostate and melanoma cancer. The Department of Defense’s first aviator cancer-focused study from May 2024 also found elevated cancer rates among military aviators and aviation ground personnel and that aircrew members had 15% higher incidences of cancer compared to the U.S. population.
The original Pentagon 2024 study looked at cancer rates among active aircrew and groundcrew troops as well as veterans, including those without access to TRICARE coverage.
But the new study that members of Congress are calling for would only include active-duty troops who served as an aircrew member of fixed-wing aircraft and aims to go further and examine “incidence analysis” to better understand “correlations between aviator service and cancer, as well as identifying factors contributing to cancer prevalence among veteran aviators,” according to Pflueger’s office.
The bill was previously introduced in the House and Senate. The measure was also included in the House version of the fiscal year 2023 national defense bill but failed to become law, according to a congressional aide.
Rep. Pfluger, a former fighter pilot, said in a statement that he hopes the measure will give the aviator veterans more information to get treatment from the VA.
“After putting their lives on the line in the line of duty for their country, airmen and women deserve assurances that their health will be properly taken care of,” he said. “The bipartisan ACES Act will ensure that the VA takes necessary steps to completely understand any links between aviation and cancer incidences to properly care for and treat our service members.”
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