Untimely* deaths of serving & former Irish Air Corps personnel
- 105 verified deaths have occurred in total since 1980
- 92 of these deaths have occurred since 2000
- 67 of these deaths have occurred since 2010
We picked the 1st of January 1980 as an arbitrary date to start counting deaths from. Obvious earlier deaths are much more difficult to discover but either the rate of death is accelerating or we are missing many deaths from previous decades or possibly both.
Most Significant Causes of Death
| Cause | Air Corps Cohort | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Cancer | 43% | TBA |
| Cardiac | 30% | TBA |
| Suicide | 14% | TBA |
| Male Average Age of Death | 53 years | 80 years |
Air Corps Untimely Deaths - Cancer
| Type | % of Air Corps | % of IRL 3-Year | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lung | 20.0% | 16.1% | 124% |
| Oesophageal | 11.1% | 4.3% | 258% |
| Pancreatic | 11.1% | 4.4% | 252% |
| Colorectal | 8.9% | 8.7% | 102% |
| Blood | 8.9% | 6.9% | 129% |
| Brain | 8.9% | 2.7% | 330% |
| Skin | 8.9% | 1.6% | 556% |
| Renal | 6.7% | 2.1% | 319% |
| Prostate | 4.4% | 9% | 49% |
| Salivary Gland | 4.4% | 2.1% | 210% |
Air Corps Untimely Deaths - Cardiac
| Type | % of all (105) deaths | % of cardiac (31) deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Atherosclerosis | 15% | 52% |
| Ischaemic | 5% | 16% |
| Atherosclerosis & Ischaemic Combined | 20% | 68% |
| Cardiomyopathy | 5% | 16% |
| Thrombosis | 2% | 6% |
*We record untimely as dying at or before age 66 (civilian pension age), average age of death is 53 years. We are counting deaths from medical reasons & suicide, we are not counting accidental deaths nor murder.
We are not stating that every single death is directly due to chemical exposure but many personnel who did not handle chemicals directly were unknowingly exposed due to close proximity to contaminated work locations.
Cancer statistics for Ireland 3-Year are taken from NCRI Annual Statistical Report 2022 taking the 3-year annual average male cancer deaths from 2018 to 2020 inclusive. We are not statisticians & these figures have been compiled to the best of our ability.