For years, the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, located on the coast of south-central North Carolina, has been linked to controversy stemming from water contamination.
Experts from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) estimate the base’s water was likely contaminated from 1953 to 1987 — a time during which nearly 1 million civilian workers, military members, and their families were potentially exposed to the toxic water at the base.
Unsurprisingly, the chemical contamination of the water has led to a wide range of deadly health conditions among those exposed to it, including cases of cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and more.
However, for more than 30 years, the military members and their families who have been impacted by the water-contamination tragedy have not had any legal recourse whatsoever.
Since the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 became law in 2022, military members and their families may be able to file lawsuits for Camp Lejeune health-related issues — but they only have until August 10, 2024.
In addition, the law will also allow military members impacted by the water contamination to speed up VA disability and benefits claims.
What Was in the Toxic Water at Camp Lejeune?
For the hundreds of thousands of military service members, veterans, and their families who have been impacted by the water contamination at Camp Lejeune, financial relief, justice, and accountability can’t come soon enough.
Known as volatile organic compounds — or VOCs, for short — these toxic chemicals can prove deadly to human health if ingested through drinking water or other means of exposure. As a result of being exposed to VOCs at Camp Lejeune, thousands of military personnel — and their family members — have gotten sick. Many have died.
Records show the U.S. Marine Corps discovered the base’s water was contaminated in 1982 and took action to start removing the water wells impacted by the contamination in 1983, a project that was ultimately completed in 1987. However, by then, the ATSDR estimates the water contamination had already been going steady for nearly three decades – dating back to at least August 1, 1953.
According to the ATSDR, the toxic water at Camp Lejeune included the following VOCs:
- Benzene
- Tetrachloroethylene (PCE)
- Trichloroethylene (TCE)
- Vinyl chloride (VC)
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), benzene, TCE, and VC are all determined to cause cancer in humans. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared PCE is “likely to be carcinogenic to humans.”
According to an investigation by CBS News, toxic VOCs at Camp Lejeune were found to be at levels that were 400 times what federal safety standards allow.
It’s About Time: Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Survivors & Their Families Can Now Seek Relief
Sadly, there is no shortage of potentially lethal illnesses and diseases that can arise from exposure to VOCs from contaminated drinking water. Indeed, birth defects, cancer, and more than a dozen of other health-related issues have been reported to the ATSDR.
Health conditions related to toxic water exposure at Camp Lejeune include:
- Aplastic anemia
- Birth defects
- Bladder cancer
- Brain cancer
- Breast cancer
- Cardiac defects
- Colorectal cancer
- Death
- Esophageal cancer
- Kidney cancer (renal cancer)
- Liver cancer
- Lung cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Pancreatic cancer
- Parkinson’s disease
- Prostate cancer
- Rectal cancer
- Sarcoma
Our Camp Lejeune toxic water attorneys may now be able to help individuals and their families impacted by these Camp Lejeune water contamination illnesses and others to file lawsuits and pursue funds that can help pay for and treat their illnesses, since the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 became law.
However, you only have until August 10, 2024 to file a Camp Lejeune toxic water claim over the health problems you or your loved one suffered.
File a Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Claim Now
The water contamination at Camp Lejeune was preventable and unsuspecting civilians and veterans should not have been exposed to these toxic chemicals.
What’s worse, according to CBS News, only 17% of all VA benefits claims linked to Camp Lejeune water contamination have been approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) — a shocking figure, especially when one considers over 109,000 veterans have filed for assistance from the VA.
This new law will allow all veterans, active-duty military personnel and their family members to take legal action for compensation related to the health conditions and injuries suffered as a result of exposure to VOCs in Camp Lejeune’s contaminated drinking water.
Anyone who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 may now be entitled to Camp Lejeune toxic water compensation from a legal claim.
For thousands of U.S. veterans, this relief can’t come soon enough. According to the VA, more than 2,400 benefits claims related to Camp Lejeune water contamination are currently pending in the VA’s extremely backed-up system.
