Cleaning Camp Lejeune Water And Soil Contamination Is An Ongoing Process

Military operations by their very nature cause unavoidable pollution on and around a military base

Thursday, April 13, 2023 - For Marine Corps members and their families, Camp Lejeune used to be a tranquil refuge where they could live and train away from outside distractions. The groundwater beneath the base, however, was found to be tainted with harmful chemicals, shattering this ideal picture, according to health experts. Numerous significant health difficulties, including high rates of cancer, birth deformities, and other serious health problems, were brought on by the contamination in the area. In the early 1980s, Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina, was designated as an EPA Superfund cleanup site due to the high rates of cancer, birth deformities, and other health problems being experienced by US service members, civilian employees, local residents, and their respective family members. Before it was ultimately identified in the middle of the 1980s, the pollution started in the 1950s and persisted for several decades. Three chemicals that are known to cause cancer and other serious health issues, benzene, trichloroethylene (TCE), and perchloroethylene (PCE), were the main contaminants identified in the groundwater at Camp Lejeune. The Superfund cleanup effort took years and involved many different government departments, military personnel, and environmental specialists. It is estimated that more than one million people drank enough Camp Lejeune contaminated water to result in cancer. The tragedy is now considered the greatest environmental catastrophe in US history and serves as a reminder of the necessity to give environmental protection top priority and make sure communities aren't exposed to harmful chemicals that could impair their health and wellbeing. Service members are now filing tens of thousands of Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims seeking billions of dollars in restitution.

The fact that the Camp Lejeune water contamination also damaged the base's drinking water supply made the problem worse. Thousands of people, including military personnel and their families both on and off the base, were served by the water supply. Several factors contributed to the contamination, including accidents, breaches from subterranean storage tanks, and inappropriate chemical disposal. Camp Lejeune was included to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites, a list of the most dangerous and contaminated locations in the country, by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1989. Following that, the EPA launched a thorough investigation into the contamination and remediation procedure. The cleanup operation required the participation of numerous government agencies, military personnel, and environmental experts. It was a complicated, multi-stage process. The first steps in the cleanup operation involved locating the hazardous chemically contaminated areas and preventing further pollution. Then, as corrective steps, contaminated soil and water were removed, a water treatment system was installed, and other corrective processes were carried out. The complexity and extent of the contamination made the cleanup effort very challenging. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that up to 1 million people may have been exposed to the tainted water at Camp Lejeune.

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