Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

U.S. Marines Exposed to Heavy Metals in Drinking Water

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Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

For over thirty years, U.S. Marines, their loved ones and civilian workers at North Carolina's U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune were unknowingly exposed to water contaminated with harmful, cancer-causing chemicals. The United States government estimates that as many as 900,000 may have been exposed. As a result, thousands of veterans and their families have developed liver cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, Parkinson's disease, reproductive problems, and other severe and life-threatening medical conditions. Persons and families impacted by exposure to carcinogenic water at Camp Lejeune are justifiably outraged.

Now, for the first time, the passage of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act enables families who have been harmed by Camp Lejeune water contamination to seek the compensation they so rightly deserve. Here you will find information on the Camp Lejeune water contamination provided directly from our attorneys who are filing claims on behalf of the dedicated servicemembers and their loved ones impacted by Camp Lejeune water.

From 1953 to 1987, two of the main water distribution systems at Camp Lejeune, Hadna Point and Tarawa Terrace, brought toxic water to the bases' barracks, family housing, temporary housing areas, daycares, schools, and hospitals. As a result, almost a million servicemembers and their families were exposed to harmful chemicals and carcinogens that put them at risk for developing cancer and other serious illnesses.

Overall, more than 70 harmful chemicals were detected in the Camp Lejeune water. The toxic water was found to contain cancer-causing chemicals at 240 to 3400 times the allowable limit. The chemicals found in the water included volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs, as well as PCE (perchloroethylene), a dry-cleaning solvent, and TCE (trichloroethylene), an industrial degreaser.

Sources of Camp Lejeune Water Contaminants

After further investigation, three sources were identified as potential causes of the toxic Camp Lejeune water. The first source was verified fuel leaks from underground fuel storage tanks, which leeched harmful chemicals into groundwater. The second source was an off-base dry cleaning facility. This facility was suspected of unsafely disposing toxic chemicals that ultimately entered the groundwater. The third likely source of the carcinogenic Camp Lejeune water were on-base units that cleaned military equipment using heavy chemicals.

Illnesses from Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

As a result of the alarmingly high levels of toxic chemicals found in the Camp Lejeune drinking water, thousands of Marines and their families were put at risk for cancer and other severe and life-threatening illnesses. Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune had a 10% higher risk of dying from cancer as compared to Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton during the same time period. Camp Lejeune Marines also had a 68% higher risk of developing multiple myeloma, a 47% higher risk of developing Hodgkin's lymphoma, a 42% higher risk for liver cancer, and a 35% higher risk for kidney cancer. Additionally, leukemia, breast cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer, and esophageal cancers have been linked to the toxic Camp Lejeune water.

In addition to cancer, contaminated water at Camp Lejeune also caused various other illnesses and syndromes in those exposed, like ALS, female infertility, miscarriage, neurobehaviral effects, hepatic steatosis, renal toxicity, and myelodysplastic syndromes. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides free coverage for 15 different conditions linked to exposure to toxins at Camp Lejeune.

Justice for Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Victims

Drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated for over 30 years as a result of careless testing, prolonged investigations and ineffective leadership. Several attempts were made to alert Camp Lejeune officials to the toxic water between 1982 and 1985, however no action was taken. This inaction left thousands of dedicated Marines and their families unknowingly exposed to an ongoing health risk and ultimately many more cases of preventable cancer.

Until recently, those impacted by Camp Lejeune water have been barred from pursuing legal action against the U.S. Marine Corps. However, the recently passed Camp Lejeune Justice Act (H.R. 2192), allows those harmed to exercise their constitutional right to legal action against the U.S. government for toxic water exposure on base. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act allows anyone who lived or worked at the base between 1952 and 1987 for at least 30 days and who developed a connected medical condition, as well as loved ones of such a person, to file a claim against the U.S. government.