Exposure to water with contaminated toxic carcinogens at Camp Lejeune occurred in both residences and workplaces. Victims drank, bathed in, cooked with an otherwise used that water. That exposure is believed to have occurred between the early 1950s until the late 1980s. Studies and testing of this water revealed that Camp Lejeune personnel and residents who consumed and used it have been at a higher risk of developing a wide variety of cancers. Although more than 70 contaminants were found to be in Camp Lejeune water, four of them were of special concern to investigators. Those four contaminants follow:
- Trichlorethylene (TCE)
- Tetrachlorethylene (PCE)
- Benzene
- Vinyl chloride
The ATSDR Studies
After the discovery of the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry conducted several studies for purposes of determining the extent of the contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune. These studies revealed that people who drank or were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune had higher mortality rates from particular cancers. Those with the strongest link to the contaminated water follow:
- Esophageal, kidney, liver, lung bladder and male breast cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Leukemia
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Those cancers with lower but clinically significant rates were brain, cervical, prostate, colon, ovarian and rectal cancers along with Parkinson’s disease.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act
On August 10, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act and made it into law immediately. It allows veterans, their family members, civilian employees and others to sue the government for the harm caused to them by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. They need only have been at the facility for 30 days or longer between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. This statute even allows for wrongful death cases to be filed and heard. Compensation in successful cases is expected to be substantial.
If you believe that you or a family member qualify to bring a case under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, contact us at your earliest opportunity for a free consultation and case evaluation. Our Camp Lejeune Justice Act lawyer is going to listen to you carefully and answer your questions too. As a claim must be made before a lawsuit can be filed, we encourage you to contact us at your earliest possible opportunity. Note that the Camp Lejeune Justice Act is only in effect until August 10, 2024, so you’ll want to exercise all due diligence. Contact us for that free consultation and case evaluation as soon as you can. Upon being retained to represent you, our objective will to obtain the maximum settlement or award that you deserve. Remember that the statute of limitations in Camp Lejeune contaminated water cases expires on August 10, 2024.
