The US Military Downplayed The Extent Of Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Instead Of Warning Residents
The Marine Corps sent out brochures to people on the base reassuring them that drinking the water there posed no health risk
Thursday, June 15, 2023 - Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims continue to be filed every day. Beginning in 1943, Camp Lejeune, a United States Marine Corps base located in North Carolina, faced a severe health crisis as a result of contaminated drinking water. The military's handling of the situation, particularly in terms of warning personnel about the dangers of consuming tap water, has come under scrutiny. Despite evidence of Camp Lejeune water contamination dating back several decades, the military's efforts to inform and protect those stationed there were woefully inadequate. Much has been written about the military's failure to warn personnel about the hazards associated with drinking the water and highlights quotes from the brochures that were distributed. In the 1980s, toxic chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE), were discovered in the groundwater at Camp Lejeune. These chemicals leached into the base's water supply from various sources, including leaking underground storage tanks and improper disposal practices. Over the years, thousands of military personnel and their families stationed at Camp Lejeune unknowingly consumed contaminated tap water, leading to severe health consequences. Water pollution levels exceeded three to four thousand times the EPA's recommended safe daily exposure to these chemicals. Drinking tap water contaminated with these pollutants is presumed to have caused dozens of types of cancer and life-altering neurological conditions. In addition, thousands of children were miscarried, stillborn, or otherwise born with serious birth defects. Many young children have died from leukemia having been born with the disease.
Despite knowledge of the water contamination, the military failed to adequately warn those stationed at Camp Lejeune about the dangers of drinking tap water. The brochures distributed by the military during this period are reflective of this failure. One such brochure, titled "Camp Lejeune Drinking Water Facts," published in the early 1990s, downplayed the risks associated with the contaminated water. It stated: "Based on current information, the water supplied by the Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point Water Treatment Plants is considered safe to drink." This quote clearly suggests a misleading assurance of safety and underplays the potential health risks posed by the contaminated water. The military's failure to provide accurate and timely information denied personnel the opportunity to make informed decisions about their water consumption, putting their lives at risk. "Up to a million people had to wait decades to find out that the water they'd used for years had been poisoning them with carcinogens. The extent of the mass poisoning is unclear, but as of 2023, the water contamination at Camp Lejeune continues to be known as the worst public drinking water contamination in the nation's history," according to Grunge.com. It is not until 2007, more than 50 years after the drinking water at Camp Lejeune was initially deemed to be unsafe to drink, that the military touched on the topic of the drinking water maybe being as safe as it should have been. The brochure, titled "The Facts About Contaminated Drinking Water at Camp Lejeune," published in 2007, attempted to address the issue. However, it still fell short of adequately warning personnel. The brochure stated: "Studies continue to investigate the potential health effects from the chemicals found in drinking water at Camp Lejeune. While the results of these studies are not yet conclusive, some people believe there may be a connection between exposure to these chemicals and certain health conditions."
OnderLaw, LLC and The Overholt Law Firm, PC -