Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is being sued by at least 180 current and former armed forces aircrew who have cancer which they claim was caused by exposure to toxic fumes in helicopters, reports the BBC.
The MoD – which said it believed engine exhaust emissions posed no health risk – had confirmed in February it was trying to determine the number of people who served as aircrew and who have been diagnosed with cancer, and that it was testing the exhaust emissions of its rotary wing aircraft.
RAF flight sergeant Zach Stubbings, who died aged 47 in January, is one of at least half a dozen people who have received an out-of-court settlement from the MoD, although it has not admitted liability.
A group representing veterans has urged the MoD to take swift action to protect those still serving and also raise awareness among former servicemen and women.
One law firm, Hugh James Solicitors, said it had received inquiries from 180 aircrew and was pursuing claims relating to four military aircraft – the Sea King, the Westland Wessex, the Puma and the CH-47 Chinook.
The Sea King was used in British military operations between 1969 and 2018, the Westland Wessex was retired in 2003 and the Puma in March, but the CH-47 Chinook is still in use.
Diseases contracted by some of the crew who flew the helicopters include lung cancer, throat cancer, testicular cancer and some rare forms of blood cancer.
Flight Sergeant Stubbings, who trained the Prince of Wales on RAF Sea King helicopters in north Wales, was 33 when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, the incurable form of blood cancer that mainly affects people over 65.
He was determined to understand the cause of his cancer, and later discovered that other servicemen and women who had worked on military aircraft had also received a cancer diagnosis.
His case was settled without the MoD admitting liability.
His widow, Anna-Louise, is encouraging the MoD to launch a cancer screening programme and raise awareness of the issue to aircrew and veterans.
“How many more people are not aware?” she said. “How many people don’t know because they have not been screened?”
Stubbing’s solicitor, Louisa Donaghy, said she has submitted 50 claims so far.
“I think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Donaghy a senior associate in Hugh James’s military department.
She added that for each of the six claims she had settled without any admission of liability by the MoD, she had to establish that the MoD had a duty of care to its employees and that the duty had been breached.
“The people whom I’m representing … were exposed unnecessarily for long periods of time – and for thousands of flying hours – to these toxic fumes, which could have been prevented had the MoD given additional PPE such as filtration masks, which would have narrowed and lowered the levels of exposure.”
In May, the Independent Medical Expert Group (IMEG), which advises the MoD, reviewed evidence about a possible link between exhaust emissions from Sea King helicopters and rare cancers, specifically multiple myeloma and leiomyosarcoma, but found insufficient evidence to establish a clear causal relationship.
“We take the health of our personnel extremely seriously and regularly review our processes to ensure we’re doing our utmost to keep our people safe,” the MoD said in a statement.
BBC article – At least 180 aircrew pursuing MoD after cancer diagnosed (Open access)
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