Camp LeJeune Water Contamination

Between 1953 and 1987, a minimum of one million enlisted service members, their families, and civilian staff were poisoned by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune's military base in North Carolina. Scientific and medical evidence proves an association between exposure to these contaminants and the development of specific diseases, producing what some scientists have called the worst public drinking-water contamination in America’s history.

Their debilitating diagnoses expose the heartbreaking stories of these service members and their families. The government had done little to remedy this injustice, but recent legislation gave Camp Lejeune water contamination victims some legal options.

Camp LeJeune history

Camp Lejeune was a military training facility that opened in 1942 and housed more than one million men, women, and children during its course of operation. At one point, Camp Lejeune was a solid base for the Marines, serving as one of the Marine Corp’s busiest and largest bases. Stretching across North Carolina’s coastline, Camp Lejeune covered 156,000 acres of Jacksonville.

Over three decades, toxic chemical agents entered the soil at base junkyards, fuel depots, and a local dry cleaner. Records show that the Marines dumped oil and industrial wastewater in storm drains while burying potentially radioactive materials on the site. Additionally, Camp Lejeune ran a daycare center in a former malaria control shop where pesticides were mixed and stored.

The most significant source of water contamination was a neighboring dry-cleaning business that dumped wastewater tainted with chemicals used in dry cleaning. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, or ATSDR, they introduced these chemicals into the water supply at 440 times safe levels.

After 34 years of known water pollution, it was not until 1982 that the American government admitted that volatile organic compounds were found in the drinking water in residential areas and training facilities at Camp LeJeune. They also recognized that from 1953 to 1987, service members and their families drank, cooked, bathed, and swam in water contaminated with dangerously high levels of cancer-causing chemicals.

Chemicals found in the water at Camp LeJeune

After testing the drinking water, two specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified: trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE).

Trichloroethylene, or TCE, is a colorless liquid chemical used as a solvent for degreasing metal parts used for manufacturing different products. Toxic exposure to TCE can damage the:

Immune and reproductive systems
Liver
Kidney
Central nervous system
Fetal development during pregnancy

Perchloroethylene, or PCE, is a solvent used in dry cleaning operations. PCE dissolves greases, oils, and waxes when used on material or fabric.

If you served at Marine Corps Base Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, you might have also consumed drinking water contaminated with vinyl chloride and Benzene. Vinyl chloride is a flammable gas used to make PVC pipes, wire coatings, vehicle upholstery, and plastic kitchenware. Exposure to vinyl chloride can potentially cause:

Damage to the nervous system
Changes in the immune system
A decrease in bone strength

Benzene is a colorless, flammable liquid that quickly evaporates when exposed to air, and it is among the 20 most widely used chemicals in the United States. It is primarily used in making other chemicals and as an industrial solvent. The link between benzene and cancer has focused on leukemia and other blood cell cancers.

Legal options for Camp LeJeune victims

If you served at Camp LeJeune and have a current diagnosis of one of the conditions listed below, you may qualify for disability benefits. Alternatively, you may be able to file a lawsuit for compensation.

To qualify for disability benefits, you must have served at Camp LeJeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 cumulative days from August 1953 through December 1987. Additionally, you must not have received a dishonorable discharge when you separated from the military. Veterans, reservists, and guardsmen may qualify for disability benefits associated with Camp LeJeune water contamination.

Qualifying presumptive conditions include:

Adult leukemia
Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
Bladder cancer
Kidney cancer
Liver cancer
Breast cancer
Multiple myeloma
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Parkinson’s disease
Esophageal cancer
Hepatic steatosis
Lung cancer
Female infertility
Renal toxicity
Cardiac defects
Scleroderma

The Camp LeJeune Justice Act

Those affected by the contaminated water have primarily been denied health care benefits and other forms of compensation. The Camp LeJeune Justice Act allows victims to file administrative claims and lawsuits seeking compensation for the damage they have experienced.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is a piece of legislation included in a larger bill to compensate veterans for exposure to toxic chemicals. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act allows any person at Camp LeJeune for a minimum of 30 days between 1953 and 1987 to file a compensation claim.

How Goldberg & Rosen can help

At Goldberg & Rosen, we have decades of experience fighting for people across the country in countless cases. No case is too simple or complex for us to take on; if it means helping real people get justice, we’re on board. Our legal team at Goldberg & Rosen has the skill to stay on the cutting edge of countless practice areas.

We have years of experience in bad faith cases against big insurance companies, and we’ve represented thousands of people involved in class action lawsuits. We’ve successfully brought class action lawsuits against the government and some of the nation’s largest corporations. In addition, we represent individuals in complex mass and toxic tort actions, industrial actions, product liability cases, and various critical civil rights lawsuits across the country. These experiences make us the best choice for Camp LeJeune water contamination lawsuits.

If you or a loved one have been the victim of Camp LeJeune’s water contamination, contact the best attorneys Miami has available at Goldberg & Rosen today. You’ll receive expert guidance about your legal options and a free and confidential case evaluation.

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If you or a loved one have been the victim of negligence or misconduct, please do not hesitate to contact among the best attorneys Miami has available at Goldberg & Rosen today to receive expert guidance about your legal options, as well as a free and confidential case evaluation.