https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-missile-cancer-study-vocs/

Oct. 23, 2024 | By David Roza

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The rest may be accounted for as the study expands. On Oct. 31, Global Strike Command will host a virtual town hall to discuss the results of the next phase of the epidemiological study, which covers Veterans Affairs medical records from 1991-2020, the DOD Cancer Registry from 1986-2020, and the Veterans Affairs Central Cancer Registry from 1976 to 2020.

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This round found trace levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). According to the Environmental Protection Agency, VOCs are human-made chemicals used and produced in the manufacture of paints, pharmaceuticals, and refrigerants. They are emitted as a vapor by a vast array of products including paints, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials, office equipment such as copiers and printers, and permanent markers. Even the “new car smell” comes from VOCs emitted from the materials inside a new car.

VOC exposure can result in headaches, nausea, dizziness, irritation in the eyes and throat, and a few VOCs have been directly linked to cancer in humans, but the extent and nature of the health effects depend on a range of factors such as amount of time exposed and exposure level, according to Northern Arizona University.

"Capt. Leigh Durden and Staff Sgt. Jesse Reed, bioenvironmental engineers from the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM), collect a soil sample at a missile alert facility, or MAF, near Windham, Mont., to test for organic phosphates from pesticides, June 22, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo / John Turner)"