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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 24 January 2023
Military probing whether cancers linked to nuclear silo work

By TARA COPP Associated non-Hodgkin lymphoma is
Press WASHINGTON (AP) — 67, according to the Na-
Nine military officers who tional Institutes of Health.
had worked decades ago The former missileers af-
at a nuclear missile base in fected are far younger. Of-
Montana have been diag- ficers are often in their 20s
nosed with blood cancer when they are assigned
and there are “indications” duty watch; the officer who
the disease may be linked died, who was not identi-
to their service, according fied, was a Space Force of-
to military briefing slides ob- ficer assigned to Schreiver
tained by The Associated Space Force Base in Colo-
Press. One of the officers rado with the rank of major,
has died. All of the officers, a rank typically achieved
known as missileers, were in a service member’s 30s.
assigned as many as 25 Two of the others are in
years ago to Malmstrom the same Space Force unit
Air Force Base, home to a with the rank of lieutenant
vast field of 150 Minuteman colonel, which is typically
III intercontinental ballistic reached in a service mem-
missile silos. The nine officers ber’s early 40s.
were diagnosed with non- It’s not the first time the
Hodgkin lymphoma, ac- An inert Minuteman III missile is seen in a training launch tube at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., June military has been alerted
cording to a January brief- 25, 2014. Associated Press to multiple cancer cases at
ing by U.S. Space Force Lt. of missileers presenting with nior leaders are aware of people in the U.S. annu- Malmstrom. In 2001 the Air
Col. Daniel Sebeck. Mis- cancer, specifically lym- the concerns raised about ally, is a blood cancer that Force Institute for Opera-
sileers ride caged elevators phoma” was concerning, the possible association of uses the body’s infection- tional Health investigated
deep underground into a he said. Sebeck declined cancer related to missile fighting lymph system to the base after 14 cancers
small operations bunker to comment when con- combat crew members at spread. For comparison, of various types were re-
encased in a thick wall of tacted by email by the AP Malmstrom AFB.” only about 3,300 troops are ported among missileers
concrete and steel. They on Saturday, saying the Stefanek added: “The infor- based at Malmstrom at a who had served there, in-
remain there sometimes slides were “predecisional.” mation in this briefing has time, and only about 400 cluding two cases of non-
for days, ready to turn the In the slides, he said the is- been shared with the De- of those are assigned either Hodgkin lymphoma.
launch keys if ordered to sue was important to the partment of the Air Force as missileers or as support But the review found the
by the president. “There Space Force because as surgeon general and our for those operators. It is one base was environmentally
are indications of a pos- many as 455 former mis- medical professionals are of three bases in the U.S. safe and that “sometimes
sible association between sileers are now serving as working to gather data that operate a total of 400 illnesses tend to occur by
cancer and missile combat Space Force officers, in- and understand more.” siloed Minutemen III ICBMs, chance alone.” The re-
crew service at Malmstrom cluding at least four of the Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including fields at Minot Air port lamented that the list
AFB,” Sebeck said in slides nine identified in the slides. which according to the Force Base in North Dakota of those diagnosed had
presented to his Space In a statement to the AP, American Cancer Soci- and F.E. Warren Air Force been collected because
Force unit this month. The Air Force spokeswoman ety affects an estimated Base in Wyoming. it “perpetuates the level of
“disproportionate number Ann Stefanek said that “se- 19 out of every 100,000 The median age for adult concern.”q

Feds deny emergency call to slow ships, ease whale strikes

By PATRICK WHITTLE the East Coast and require tained by The Associated
Associated Press more vessels to comply Press. NOAA also told the
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — with those rules. The en- groups it was concerned
The U.S. government has vironmental groups had the time needed to devel-
denied a request from a asked NOAA to immedi- op emergency regulations
group of environmental or- ately implement pieces would prevent their quick
ganizations to immediately of the proposed rule that implementation.
apply proposed ship-speed would aid the whales this Members of the conser-
restrictions in an effort to winter and spring, when vation groups, including
save a vanishing species of the whales travel from their Arizona-based Center for
whale. calving grounds off the Biological Diversity and A North Atlantic right whale feeds on the surface of Cape Cod
The National Oceanic and southern states to feeding M a s s a c h u s e t t s - b a s e d bay off the coast of Plymouth, Mass., March 28, 2018.
Atmospheric Administra- grounds off New England Whale and Dolphin Con- Associated Press
tion is considering new rules and Canada. servation, said they felt servation. has raised alarms among
designed to stop large ships The agency informed the NOAA’s decision was “We know that the risk is marine biologists, animal
from colliding with North conservation groups on wrongheaded. Protecting there,” Asmutis-Silvia said. welfare activists and gov-
Atlantic right whales. The Jan. 20 that it was deny- the whales while they are “You can’t recover the ernment regulators. Some
whales number less than ing the request on the ba- on the move is especially population unless you have scientists have said the
340, and they are vulner- sis that it is “focused on important because mother kids, and we want to make warming of the ocean has
able to ship strikes and en- implementing long-term, whales and their young are sure the kids survive.” caused the whales to stray
tanglement in fishing gear. substantive vessel strike risk at risk, said Regina Asmutis- The population of right outside of existing protect-
The proposed rules would reduction measures,” ac- Silvia, executive director of whales has been declining ed areas as they search for
expand “slow zones” off cording to documents ob- Whale and Dolphin Con- in recent years, and that food.q