Individuals who worked or lived at the Camp Lejeune military base between 1953-1987 and were exposed to the toxic water may now have a claim to obtain compensation for the injuries they sustained. During those years over nine million military personal are estimated to have been stationed at the camp and exposed to the toxic water. The water was contaminated with volatile organic compounds including trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE) benzene; trans-1,2-dichloroethylene DCE, and vinyl chloride. Exposure to the chemicals found in the water has been linked to numerous illnesses including:
On August 10, 2022, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was signed into law. Prior to enactment, affected people could not file a claim because of North Carolina's strict statute of repose. The statute of repose limited the time that individuals could file a claim to ten years from the exposure to the toxic water. So, by the time the pollution and impact it had on individual's health came to light, it was already past the time limitation to file a claim. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act lifts that restriction, providing a two-year window for those harmed to seek justice and file a claim.
Studies have found the following injuries related to contaminated drinking water by the above chemicals:
2017 and 2018 studies by ATSDR, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, done to determine whether Camp Lejeune drinking water was contaminated and what serious injuries could be caused by the contamination found that the exposure to the chemicals, TCE and PCE, present in the drinking water, were connected to an increased risk for kidney and bladder cancer. The study compared Camp Lejeune to Camp Pendleton a base that was not exposed to toxic water.
The CDC and Department of Health have linked many serious injuries to exposure to Benzene, including fertility and birth defects. Long-term exposure affects the blood, causing developmental issues in fetuses and fertility issues in men and women.
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