USA: Air Force Identifies Seemingly Higher Rate of Rare Brain Cancer Among Children at New Mexico Base

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NOTE: The Cannon Air Force Base is severely contaminated with PFAS.

"The Air Force has spent more than $67 million on its response to PFAS contamination at Cannon so far."
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Air Force Identifies Seemingly Higher Rate of Rare Brain Cancer Among Children at New Mexico Base

Military.com - April 18, 2024

A new Air Force study has found what appears to be a higher rate of a rare brain and spinal cord cancer among children of service members stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.

The nearly two-year study examined pediatric brain cancers at the base after concerns about a possible cancer cluster were raised in 2022. The Air Force found three cases of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, and the closely related diffuse midline glioma, or DMG -- rare, aggressive and possibly fatal tumors -- among children with parents stationed at Cannon over a 10-year period.

Those cases indicated a higher rate of the disease compared to children of troops at other installations and the general civilian population between 2010 and 2020. However, the service concluded that the study's findings, which were publicly released earlier this month, had a sample size that was too small to draw significant conclusions, according to a press release from the 27th Special Operations Wing.

"When conducting these studies, the National Cancer Institute tells us that having 16 or more cases of the same or similarly caused cancers provides more stable statistics and reliable results," Col. Eric Chumbley, chief of the division of aerospace medicine with Air Force Special Operations Command, said in the statement. "In other words, with fewer than 16 cases, the margin of error is too wide."

In September 2022, officials at Cannon's 27th Special Operations Wing were informed of concerns regarding DMG and DIPG cases on base. By January 2023, the Epidemiology Consult Service at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine started studying "if there is a cluster of pediatric cancer at higher rates than the national average," the base said in a press release last year.

Officials said in their findings released this month that there was no data showing a relationship between the cancer cases and environmental conditions at Cannon, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down in the body and have been linked to health concerns.

Most cases of the brain and spinal cord cancers are caused by changes within the body that affect how genes are expressed, officials said in the press release. "This is a random mutation without any known cause," they said.

The research indicated that there was no significant rate of overall pediatric brain cancers within the population but added "when considering only the rare diagnosis of DIPG/DMG, children with a Cannon AFB affiliation had a higher rate of DIPG/DMG compared to the non-Cannon AFB pediatric population and when compared to the U.S. civilian pediatric population," officials said in the press release.

Similar concerns about pediatric brain cancers in the military were brought up six years ago at Florida's Patrick Space Force Base -- then known as Patrick Air Force Base, Military.com previously reported.

Dozens of cases of cancer, and at least eight rare brain-cancer cases, happened on Patrick or in the city of Satellite Beach close by, retired Army helicopter pilot and Air Force veteran James Holmes stated in a 2020 congressional testimony. Holmes lost his daughter, Kaela, in 2019 at age 17 to DIPG.

Col. Jeremy Bergin, the commander of the 27th Special Operations Wing, said in a press release that while the study concluded that the rare cancer rates at Cannon were "likely abnormally high based on chance," it has prompted new plans and policies at the base.

"We will ensure our providers are thoroughly educated on signs and symptoms of pediatric brain cancer; we will actively monitor any cases of pediatric brain cancer and ensure they are referred to the DIPG and DMG international registry; and we will always encourage enrollment of children with these diagnoses into tumor registries and refer them to [a] regional specialist while building knowledge for targeted treatments that could lead to a cure," Bergin said.

The study at Cannon Air Force Base comes amid investigations and studies into larger cancer concerns within the military and the Air Force.

Findings given to the House Armed Services Committee in February 2023 detailed higher cancer rates among pilots and aircrew.

Aircrew had an 87% higher rate of melanoma, 39% higher rate of thyroid cancer, 16% higher rate of prostate cancer and 24% higher rate of cancer for all types, a letter detailing the findings said.

Ground-crew members had a higher incidence of brain and nervous system cancers by 19%, thyroid (by 15%), melanoma (by 9%), kidney and renal pelvis (by 9%), and of all types by 3%, the findings showed.

The findings at Cannon Air Force Base also comes as the Air Force is investigating cancer concerns among America's missileers, nuclear missile maintainers and support staff related to the nation's intercontinental ballistic missile bases.

Last month, the Air Force found some elevated rates of cancer among missileers, maintainers and other job positions responsible for handling ICBMs, according to early and inconclusive results from an ongoing and wide-ranging health study.

"We are seeing in the data that breast and prostate cancers may be trending toward an increased incidence in the missile community, which mirrors some other nationally published data reviewing cancer incidents in the U.S. military more broadly," Charles Hoffman, an Air Force Global Strike Command spokesman, said in a statement.

So far, the initial research has only looked at Defense Department records, which "captures fewer than 25% of total cancer cases" likely to be found by the study, a memo detailing the early results said.

SOURCE:
https://www.military.com/daily-news/202 ... -base.html

RELATED:

The Air Force Is Investigating Cases of Rare Pediatric Brain Cancers. This Isn’t the First Time.

The Air Force has been investigating cases of rare pediatric brain cancers diagnosed in three military children at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico to determine whether the disease is more widespread in the region than previously reported or is occurring at higher rates than average.

Epidemiologists from the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine began assessing cases of diffuse midline glioma, or DMG, and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, at Cannon and in the surrounding area in January after concerns arose among families who have lived on the installation, according to a press release last week from the 27th Special Operations Wing.

According to wing leaders, the scientists not only will examine the rates of these cancers at Cannon, they also will look at all types of pediatric brain cancer diagnosed among children on the base, in the region and across other Air Force installations, as well as the civilian population.


The concern over pediatric brain cancers at Cannon mirrors the distress at Patrick Space Force Base, then Patrick Air Force Base, roughly five years ago, when dozens of cases of cancer and at least eight diagnoses of rare brain cancers occurred on the Florida installation or around the nearby city of Satellite Beach, according to congressional testimony in 2020 by retired Army helicopter pilot and Air Force veteran James Holmes.

Holmes lost his daughter, Kaela, in 2019 at age 17 to DIPG.

Testifying before the House Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations subcommittee on March 11, 2020, Holmes blamed Kaela's illness on widespread contamination of the installation with firefighting foam that contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often called PFAS.

Known as "forever chemicals," PFAS is a group of man-made chemicals that do not break down in the environment and can accumulate in the human body. They have been linked to health conditions including testicular and kidney cancer, decreased response to immunization, low birth weights and developmental delays.

A 2019 investigation by the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County, where Patrick Space Force Base is located, found higher than average rates for bladder cancer, leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the region, and lower rates for other types, such as thyroid and liver cancer.

But the investigation did not examine brain cancer. And it noted that the Florida Department of Health's Bureau of Environmental Health reviewed the current sampling of PFAS in the region and "found no evidence of PFAS currently impacting the public drinking water supply."

Holmes testified that, while his family lived at the base, water samples contained 57,000 times the Environmental Protection Agency's lifetime drinking water exposure level at the time of 70 parts per trillion.

The EPA has since recommended 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, two of the more ubiquitous types of PFAS chemicals linked to health risks.

"The failure to disclose such critical information showed a complete lack of care for the health and safety of the service members, dependents and civilians that live on and around Patrick Air Force Base," Holmes said.

"I lost my only child due to being poisoned by the same military that I faithfully served and fought for. When I learned about the connection of PFAS and Kaela's cancer, I got rid of all my awards, certificates and uniforms," he added. "I'll have to live the rest of my life knowing that my decision to serve in the military and reside on a United States Air Force base resulted in the death of my daughter."

According to the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization that monitors PFAS contamination and pushes industry and the federal government to clean up sites, Patrick Space Force Base ranks third in its "Filthy 50" most contaminated Department of Defense sites, with a maximum amount detected in groundwater at 4.34 million parts per trillion.

Cannon Air Force Base has PFAS levels exceeding 26,000 parts per trillion, or more than 6,500 times the proposed guidelines of 4 parts per trillion, according to data published by the University of New Mexico.

The Department of Defense has completed or is assessing 714 active and former military installations, National Guard facilities and other former defense sites to determine the extent of PFAS contamination in groundwater, soil and the water supplies at these locations and nearby communities.

As of June, 359 military bases and communities were determined to need remediation, while another 248 were still under investigation. The remaining 107 were found to not have any contamination.

The New Mexico Environment Department issued regulations to Cannon in 2018 to curb contamination of PFAS into area groundwater and soil. The base in turn sued the state, and although the case was dismissed last year, it has been appealed to the New Mexico Court of Appeals.

According to the 27th Special Operations Wing, the team investigating Cannon will include pediatric brain cancer experts from the Brain Tumor Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, as well as the New Mexico Department of Health and Air Force Special Operations Command Surgeon General.

Officials said that, in the 13 years since a case of DMG or DIPG occurred at Cannon, there "was an 8-year period where there were zero cases," and none was actually diagnosed while the active-duty member of the family was assigned to Cannon.

"Previously conducted research and leading experts in the field tell us that the underlying cause of DMG/DIPG is unknown at this time. There are no known environmental exposures (chemical or radiation) or inherited genetic variations that have been validated to increase the risk of developing DMG/DIPG," Air Force officials wrote in the release.

They added that they expect to provide an update by the end of the year.

"Your concerns are our concerns," the officials said. "Our number one priority is the health and safety of our Air Commandos and their families, and we take the responsibility to investigate these risks to health very seriously."

Between 2018 and 2022, brain cancer and other nervous system cancers have ranked seventh or eighth in the 10 most diagnosed cancers among active-duty service members, depending on the year.

SOURCE:
https://www.military.com/daily-news/202 ... -time.html

[pfpcnews]

"Blood tests offered in New Mexico amid query into ‘forever chemical’ contamination at military bases"

Associated Press - January 10, 2024

BY SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Hundreds of residents and personnel stationed at a U.S. Air Force base in eastern New Mexico will be able to have their blood tested as state officials expand their investigation into contamination from a group of compounds known as “forever chemicals.”

The New Mexico Environment Department announced Tuesday that it is searching for a contractor that can conduct the tests in the spring. The idea is to host two events where up to 500 adult volunteers living within a few miles of Cannon Air Force Base will have a small amount of blood drawn and tested for PFAS.

Surveys also will be done to determine any potential exposure for those living near the base.

PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been linked to cancer and other health problems in humans. They are called “forever chemicals” because they don’t degrade in the environment and remain in the bloodstream.

The chemicals have been detected at hundreds of military installations across the United States, resulting in what will be billions of dollars in cleanup costs. New Mexico officials said contamination at Cannon and at Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico already has cost the state over $8 million in site assessment, cleanup, litigation and other costs.

The Air Force has spent more than $67 million on its response to PFAS contamination at Cannon so far.

State Environment Secretary James Kenney said PFAS chemicals are used in so many consumer products that it’s likely most New Mexicans will have some amount in their blood. Those who live near military bases may be at higher risk, he said.

“This data will help us quantify if there are greater risks and inform how we better protect New Mexicans,” Kenney said in a statement.

In early 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first federal limits on forever chemicals in drinking water, limiting them to the lowest level that tests can detect. New Mexico had previously petitioned the agency to treat PFAS as hazardous.

The state of New Mexico and the U.S. Department of Defense have been at odds over responsibilities for mitigating PFAS contamination at installations including Cannon and Holloman Air Force bases.

Near Cannon, the Highland Dairy in Clovis euthanized more than 3,000 cows in 2022 after confirmation of PFAS contamination in the herd — and the milk the cows produced.

Officials at Cannon held a meeting in November to update the public on their efforts. They are in the process of determining the nature and extent of contamination on and off the base. The work has included soil and water samples as well as the installation of monitoring wells. Plans also call for eventually building a treatment plant.

Last year, the New Mexico Environment Department also offered to test for PFAS in private domestic wells across the state. Results from that sampling effort, done with the help of the U.S. Geological Survey, showed that PFAS compounds were not detected in the majority of wells tested.

SOURCE:
https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-p ... 96a6381930