PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Air Force officials outlined its plans to launch a study into cancer death rates of airmen who served at Pease Force Base at a town hall session Wednesday.
The Pease Cancer Military Mortality study is in response to months of lobbying by a group of widows of retired airmen who served with the New Hampshire Air National Guard and the Air Force.
More than 70 members of the Guard's 157th refueling wing have died from organ related cancers. Family members believe exposure to toxic chemicals including PFAS is to blame.
Airmen, retirees and their family members heard from officials from the Airforce's School of Aerospace Medicine's Epidemiology Consult Service who will be examining personnel records of all service members assigned to Pease been January of 1970 and December of 2018.
Medical investigators are trying to determine if there is a higher incidence of cancer deaths among service members who served during that time period.
Doris Brock's husband Ken served 35 years with the Air National Guard's 157th's Air Refueling Wing at Pease. He died from stage four bladder and prostate cancer after he retired. She fought hard for a health study into the high number of cancer deaths and hopes this will lead a probe into potential causes. Her husband worked with 12 different chemicals and drank water contaminated with PFAS.
"It's really the first step and what we are hoping for is that this will turn this something larger and comprehensive study at this point," Brock said.
Gary Enos is a bladder and prostate cancer survivor from Gorham. He served with the 157th for three decades as an aircraft mechanic.
"Hopefully, we can get some answers we can save more lives and prevent them from happening in the future," Enos said.
The report on the death rates should be complete in about a year.