
The Military Has Established Several Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Compensation Programs
The US Government has made multiple attempts over the years to compensate veterans for their exposure to Camp Lejeune water contamination
Friday, March 17, 2023 - In August 2022, President Biden signed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act into law allowing lawsuits to be filed should a person's claim for lump-sum monetary compensation be rejected or if their claim was not addressed within six months from the time it was filed. As of this writing, the Navy acknowledges that about 20,000 Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims have been filed. As more research is conducted at Camp Lejeune and other military bases, more and more water contamination could be exposed. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is not the first water contamination initiative the federal government has undertaken. The Camp Lejeune Historic Drinking Water Program, which offers medical care to people exposed to Camp Lejeune water contamination, was formed by the US government in 2012. The initiative addresses a variety of illnesses, including malignancies, neurological disorders, and birth defects that can be traced to PFAS exposure. On behalf of hundreds of people who claim they were exposed to PFAS from the firefighting foam used at Camp Lejeune, a lawsuit was brought against the U.S. government in 2017. Former service members, members of their families, and civilians who resided or were employed on the base are the plaintiffs. According to the lawsuit, the government used firefighting foam carelessly and failed to sufficiently inform the public of the dangers of PFAS exposure. One of the largest settlements in American history was reached when the lawsuit was resolved in 2020 for a total sum of $2.2 billion. Those who were harmed by the toxic exposure will get compensation from the settlement for their losses, including medical costs and other damages. Also, the settlement contains obligations for more extensive medical surveillance and PFAS exposure research. Legal experts believe the settlement to be a step in the right direction toward compensating those who were harmed by PFAS exposure at Camp Lejeune. It also highlights the serious health risks associated with PFAS exposure and the need to take precautions to avoid further exposure to these chemicals. The settlement also serves as a reminder of the government's and other organizations' responsibility to protect individuals from toxic exposure.
The US military has made multiple attempts to deal with the problem of PFAS contamination at Camp Lejeune and other military facilities. A task force was set up by the US Department of Defense in 2018 to address PFAS contamination at military locations. The task force is in charge of locating and evaluating the level of PFAS contamination at military facilities as well as creating plans to reduce the dangers related to exposure to these substances. The Department of Defense has likewise taken action to gradually stop using PFAS-containing firefighting foam. The American military declared in 2020 that it will stop using PFAS-containing firefighting foam by 2024. The military has also started to replace its existing supplies of PFAS-containing foam with less environmentally hazardous substitutes.