The Military Grossly Underestimated The Size And Scope Of Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Damages
It will cost taxpayers trillions of dollars to compensate Camp Lejeune water cancer victims
Tuesday, December 12, 2023 - The size and scope of the damages caused by water contamination at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina are staggering. Some sources estimate that the final settlement amount for Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims could be in the trillions of dollars. More than 117,000 administrative claims have already been filed and speculation is that they total about $3 trillion dollars. Bloomberg News reported recently that the amount of claims has far exceeded what the government expected when crafting the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. " (Congressional analysts projected the US would ultimately pay out as much as $21 billion; Justice Department lawyers have since disclosed that paying the claims filed so far would cost more than $3 trillion.) " A backlog of thousands of lawsuits has forced the Navy to create an expedited payout option of a lump-sum of up to one-half a million dollars to alleviate the claims and court logjams. The Navy now offers immediate payout only for those suffering from or who have died from certain, unquestionable types of cancer. The Navy also guarantees qualification for those who have already qualified for VA benefits based on getting one of those types of cancer from Camp Lejeune water. The types of cancer that qualify one automatically for a lump-sum are adult leukemia, aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndrome, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Parkinson's disease according to the Navy. The Express Payout Option pays between 100,000 and 500,000 depending on the type of cancer and the length of stay at Camp Lejeune. Tens of thousands of offers are supposedly going out as I am writing this article. If one accepts the offer they forfeit their right to file a lawsuit. The Eastern District of North Carolina court is crafting a plan to handle the multitude of lawsuits. Millions of US Marines, other service members, and civilian employees were on Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days sometime between 1953 and 1987. Tens of thousands have died from cancer as a result. The Navy also alleges that policing bogus and fraudulent claims has added months to the administrative claims process.
Camp Lejeune, a U.S. Marine Corps base in North Carolina, faced a notorious water contamination crisis that spanned several decades, raising concerns about the health and safety of military personnel and their families. The contamination primarily resulted from the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the base's drinking water supply. Several potential sources contributed to the Camp Lejeune water contamination. One major culprit was leaking underground storage tanks used for the disposal of hazardous chemicals. These tanks, commonly employed to store fuels and solvents, allowed the infiltration of toxic substances into the groundwater, ultimately contaminating the drinking water. Another source of contamination was the disposal of industrial waste directly into storm drains or unlined pits. This improper waste disposal facilitated the seepage of harmful chemicals into the soil, leading to groundwater contamination over time. Additionally, historical practices of improper waste disposal, such as the burial of drums containing hazardous materials, played a role in the pollution of the base's water supply. The extensive use of chlorinated solvents in various on-base activities, such as cleaning and degreasing, also contributed to the contamination. These solvents, including trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE), are known carcinogens and were identified in significant concentrations in the water.
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