Exposure To Camp Lejeune Drinking Water Was First Associated With Esophageal Cancer In 2009

Marines and their family members have increased risks for kidney cancer, esophagus cancer, prostate cancer, rectum cancer, leukemia, and Parkinson's disease as well

Tuesday, August 16, 2022 - Studies indicate that Marines that served at Camp Lejeune and have suffered from or died from esophageal cancer may have a good case to file a Camp Lejeune water lawsuit against the Marine Corps and the Federal government. In 2009, a committee formed by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine designated as the National Research Council (NRC) issued a report on the adverse health effects the Camp Lejeune drinking water had on the Camp Lejeune population. The studies tested Camp Lejeune tap water for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, and other drinking water contaminants, intending to find a connection with esophageal cancer. The tests analyzed water samples from the Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point water treatment plants that supplied water to everyone on the base including children's daycare facilities and recreational areas. They concluded that "exposure to the chemicals in the water at Camp Lejeune was associated with higher rates of esophageal cancer" according to the Information Lawsuit Center. To support the NCR's esophageal cancer findings, the Veterans Administration (VA) decided that esophageal cancer should be one of the types of cancer presumed to have been caused by exposure to Camp Lejeune water. In addition, an extensive number of papers that have been written on the association between cancer and Camp Lejeune drinking water. They can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. One such report by the Agency For Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry determined "When civilian workers with higher exposures at Camp Lejeune were compared to Camp Lejeune workers with lower exposures, higher cumulative exposures to the contaminants were associated with increased risks for cancers of the kidney, esophagus, prostate, and rectum, leukemias, and Parkinson's disease." The ATSDR study also confirmed that Marines from Camp Lejeune had a much higher number of cases of male breast cancer, an otherwise rare condition. Also studied were the rates of Adverse Birth Outcomes like birth defects, babies stillborn, and miscarriages. According to the CDC, "ATSDR's study results suggest associations between in utero exposure to PCE, TCE and benzene in Camp Lejeune drinking water and adverse birth outcomes."

By now, Marines across the nation are being alerted to the fact that their cancer and the cancer of their family members may have been caused by drinking contaminated Camp Lejeune water. They should also be made aware that the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was signed into law last week that allows Marines and family members, or their survivors, the ability to file a Camp Lejeune water lawsuit holding the Marine Corp financially responsible for failing to warn them that the base's water supply was contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals. If you served at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base for 30-days or more from 1953 to 1987 and have cancer, particularly one of those on the VA's presumptive disease list, you should contact an attorney for guidance.

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.