During a survey at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, the Air Force found elevated amounts of cancer-causing chemicals known as PCBs, surpassing the usual levels.
Minot Air Force Base found to have high levels of PCB
The Air Force’s investigation into health and cancer concerns among missile operators at three bases on the mainland of the United States ended at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. A prior examination also discovered higher levels of PCBs at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, according to Military.com.
Earlier this year, a Space Force officer expressed concern about missile operators who had served at Malmstrom Air Force Base and were later diagnosed with cancer. This prompted the Air Force to conduct a fresh investigation into whether there might be a link at all of America’s intercontinental ballistic missiles bases.
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PCB Levels Vart at ICBM Bases, Wyoming Base Unaffected
The U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine and the Defense Centers for Public Health gathered air and swipe samples from control centers and equipment buildings at all three ICBM bases: Minot, Malmstrom, and F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. However, the base in Wyoming did not show higher PCB levels.
The results unveiled on Thursday from Minot Air Force Base revealed that out of the 300 samples taken by swiping surfaces, 30 samples detected the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are prohibited chemicals often used in construction and electrical materials.’
Earlier this month, Capt. Lauren Linscott, who speaks for the Air Force Global Strike Command, mentioned to Military.com that the teams at those bases are putting in place plans to clean up and handle the situation. If the bases don’t have enough resources to do a complete clean up, they might hire external services to help with the cleaning and solving the issue.
