Does Iron Dome harm IDF soldiers? New study reveals findings

The Iron Dome protects Israel from missile attack. It’s one of the most widely admired and recognized systems in the IDF.

By World Israel News Staff

No Israeli has a single bad thing to say about the Iron Dome, at least until now. An investigation by Israeli Daily Yediot Aharonot to be published in full on Friday says there’s a connection between the anti-missile system and cases of cancer among the servicemen and women who run it.

The newspaper says that these IDF soldiers who served on the Iron Dome missile batteries have contracted cancer “towards the end of service or shortly after release.”

Prof. Eliyahu Richter, a doctor involved with the soldiers who contracted cancer, told Ynet that “there are signs that indicate a connection between the service and the medical condition. The period between exposure to the battery and the appearance of the diseases is very, very short.”

“This indicates something of concern and the tumors that appear are associated with previous information having to do with exposure to electromagnetic radiation,” Richter said. He referred to research from Poland, Belgium, and the U.S.

The IDF, however, disputes the findings, saying the data presented in the research aren’t exceptional.

The army said in a statement: “The IDF considers the health of its servicemen and women to be of paramount importance and is working to maintain and detect exceptional cases of illness. After a comprehensive examination, no abnormal morbidity rate was found among Iron Dome and Air Defense Fighters.

“With the deployment of each battery in the field, the level of radiation in each battery is checked in compliance with the limits by qualified examiners, who examine the characteristics of the site where the radar is deployed in accordance with the Chief Medical Officer’s directive on radiation protection.”

While Dr. Richter says he hopes the Iron Dome isn’t responsible for the cancer cases, “There are carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects from electromagnetic radiation. There are a large number of effects in systems and cells.”