Elevated Cancer Risks Discovered At Camp Lejeune

A Federal study reveals increased cancer risks, adding eight types

Sunday, February 4, 2024 - A comprehensive federal investigation has unveiled an elevated likelihood that US Marines, civilian employees, and others are apt to develop eight more distinct types of cancer than the population at other military bases. It is thought that tens of thousands of Marines, Navy personnel, their families, and civilian employees who were stationed at Camp Lejeune from 1975 to 1985, along with their spouses and children, consumed contaminated drinking water causing these additional illnesses. This study, conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), represents the most comprehensive Camp Lejeune water contamination study to date and adds eight more cancers to an already extensive list of diseases that are presumed for benefits purposes to have been caused at the base. The ATSDR, which was believed to have been deliberately held secret for a time by some, scrutinized cancer incidence at Camp Lejeune, where the water was tainted with carcinogenic substances such as TCE, PCE, benzene, and other substances, against similar types of people stationed at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, where the water remained uncontaminated. The initial findings, published online on February 1, are presently undergoing external peer review which could take months to conclude.

Plaintiffs with a type of Camp Lejeune cancer that was not included in the presumptive list have been encouraged that they may now make a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim. If their claim is ignored for six months, or denied outright they are free to file a Camp Lejeune Justice Act lawsuit in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Examination of medical records of more than 200,000 individuals affiliated with Camp Lejeune revealed an augmented risk for specific types of leukemia and lymphoma, alongside heightened risks for lung, breast (including the rare male breast cancer), larynx, esophagus, thyroid, and soft tissue cancers. Civilian workers exhibited an elevated risk for blood and bone marrow cancers, as well as certain breast and lung cancers. Notably, Camp Lejeune stands as the largest Marine base on the East Coast.

The contamination of drinking water at Camp Lejeune occurred from 1953 to 1985, with industrial solvents believed to have come from a local business establishment infiltrating the local water supply, although this was not discovered, so says the military, until the late 1980s. The Tarawa Terrace treatment plant received water tainted with solvents from an off-base dry cleaning facility, ABC Cleaners, which is currently undergoing cleanup as an EPA Superfund site. The Hadnot Point treatment plant, operational since 1942, catered to numerous facilities throughout the area, including bachelor's quarters, family housing units, daycare schools, and dining halls. Its distribution system became compromised due to on-base sources, such as leaking underground storage tanks, industrial spills, and waste disposal sites. Beyond the inherent toxicity of the chemicals, military personnel faced escalated exposure due to heightened water consumption, with a Marine in training consuming up to six liters daily--three times the average population. Additionally, troops were exposed to chemicals like TCE during showers, either through skin contact or inhalation of steam.

Information provided by CampLejeuneJusticeActClaim.com, a website devoted to providing news about Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claim, including a free no-cost, no-obligation Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claim.