Veterans who spent time at Camp Lejeune have a 14% higher risk of developing prostate cancer
A study from the medical journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine examined the association between exposure to benzene and prostate cancer. The researchers found prostate cancer risk to be significantly high among men older than 25 at substantial benzene exposure levels.
Furthermore, a study published in Environmental Epidemiology revealed a positive association between prostate cancer and exposure to benzene and ethylbenzene. A two-fold excess in the odds of developing prostate cancer was observed. The number of study participants was 3,987, out of whom 1,172 had prostate cancer. Another study from Occupational and Environmental Medicine suggests that a high duration and level of exposure to benzene, xylene, or styrene may increase the risk of non-aggressive prostate cancer.
If you are a veteran who spent time at Camp Lejeune and suspect you have prostate cancer, it is essential to be aware of the early signs, as when the disease is diagnosed in advanced stages, the survival rate drops to 28%. The following are the tell-tale symptoms of prostate cancer male veterans should know about:
- frequent need to urinate, especially at night
- a painful sensation during urination
- difficulty stopping or starting urination
- bleeding while urinating
- persistent lower back pain
- trouble emptying the bladder completely
According to the VA, occupational exposure to trichloroethylene is associated with excess incidences of prostate cancer, among many other diseases. It was also found that exposure to high levels of trichloroethylene is associated with prostate cancer among workers in a study from the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. It is important to note that former military firefighters have the highest risk of developing prostate cancer, as the fire suppressant AFFF they would regularly use contains up to 98% PFAS. Out of these chemicals, PFOS was found to have a connection with prostate cancer. Black veterans who used AFFF have the greatest prostate cancer risk, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found an excess risk of prostate cancer at younger ages.
A recent study published in the medical journal Nutrients found that exposure to PFAS and a high-fat diet increases prostate cancer risk in mice. The researchers fed some of the mice a high-fat diet similar to a typical Western diet. After ten days, they injected the mice with prostate cancer epithelial cells and subsequently began orally administering PFOS. Two days later, the researchers found that the tumor-forming prostate cells exposed to PFOS grew at triple the rate of those not exposed to the chemical. The fastest tumor growth rate occurred in mice exposed to a combination of PFOS and a high-fat diet.
