Cancer rates

The military can be a highly industrial environment, with exposure to all kinds of things. Add in frequent dumps of stress hormones, and the body takes a battering over the years. Hearing loss. Back problems. Spinal compression fractures from ejections years ago (DH is seeing a spine doc this week). DBIL, also a Navy aviator, melanoma and kidney cancer, down to 1 kidney.

It is a hard life, one I would not have traded anything else for, but the body and mind accumulate mileage at a faster rate.
 
Capt MJ said:
The military can be a highly industrial environment, with exposure to all kinds of things. Add in frequent dumps of stress hormones, and the body takes a battering over the years. Hearing loss. Back problems. Spinal compression fractures from ejections years ago (DH is seeing a spine doc this week). DBIL, also a Navy aviator, melanoma and kidney cancer, down to 1 kidney.
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I'm in the midst of trying to get a claim for my cancer battle - which my doctor and I believe stems from exposure to a carcinogenic Hydraulic Fluid in the early 80's. My equipment included 18 hydraulic systems and I was in the spaces and around them through construction, repairs, for a couple of years etc until the Navy sent in a team to change out the fluid because it was a carcinogen (!)
I underwent 12 surgeries in the first 12 months and thankfully have been cancer free for almost 15 yrs but it cost me some organs and
a definite change to my health and well being.
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Just wait, many locales are very concerned about PFOAs (Forever Chemicals) in their water as there are horror stories about the risks from exposure. Virtually EVERY SINGLE Navy vet who has served on Ships or Subs since the mid 70's has been exposed to them. The Navy's primary firefighting tool is called AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam) has the stuff and its been in place EVERYWHERE since the 70's. What's more, just about all of us have gone to firefighting school (I went 8 times over the years) where you were guaranteed to actually use the stuff and certainly come in contact with it.
 
This is way bigger than the single article I attached paints it. Nearly every single MOS from every branch can cite applicable anecdotes. Oh boy…
 
To avoid alarming those that are applying or contemplating military service, I would suggest that awareness and use of protective equipment is far more prevalent than it was "back in the day". I suspect that many of those posting above me are my era or older (80's) and while personnel safety was always a consideration, you can tell from photos of current operations show that greater emphasis is placed on protecting people. This is one of those" kinder, gentler Navy" things that is perhaps a good thing.
 
Some is probably caused by silliness. The Army would issue us protective gear such as boony hats, then you would have a sergeant major say you couldn’t wear it. “Ummm…. Sergeant major… why would the Army issue me a boony hat if they didn’t want me to wear it?”
 
Capt MJ said:
The military can be a highly industrial environment, with exposure to all kinds of things. Add in frequent dumps of stress hormones, and the body takes a battering over the years. Hearing loss. Back problems. Spinal compression fractures from ejections years ago (DH is seeing a spine doc this week). DBIL, also a Navy aviator, melanoma and kidney cancer, down to 1 kidney.

It is a hard life, one I would not have traded anything else for, but the body and mind accumulate mileage at a faster rate.
Click to expand...
Before heading to VN I spent a few months working in the Ped ward at the Naval Hospital Camp Lejuene. I was not there all that long but I had a few new babies that never made it home never left the hospital.

Years later I wondered how many of those dead banies had to do with the many decades long polluted water issue the Marines and sailors lived with there

Lots of cancer lots of sickness and deaths associated with that water including lots of babies who never made it.

 
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