Camp LeJeune

Water Contamination

Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune 1953 to 1987

North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune is lauded as the largest Marine Corps Base on the east coast. Countless service members, their families and civilians who lived and worked at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune training facility between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 may have been exposed to toxic water sources that are believed to cause cancers, birth defects and other life-altering diseases.  Toxic water at Camp Lejeune has been traced to multiple sources, including a dry cleaning operation, multiple underground fuel storage tanks believed to have leaked at least a million gallons of fuel and other dangerous toxic chemical dumping.  According to the VA, two wells at the base that were closed in 1985 contained the following toxins:

  • Trichloroethylene (TCE)
  • Perchloroethylene (PCE)
  • Benzene
  • Vinyl chloride
  • Other compounds

Camp Lejeune health effects 

Unsafe levels of the toxins have been linked to numerous diseases and other health effects including: 

  • Birth Defects
  • Cancers including: Bladder, Breast, Cervical, Esophageal, Kidney, Leukemia, Liver, Lung, Multiple Myeloma, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and Ovarian
  • Cardiac Effects
  • Female Infertility and Miscarriages
  • Hepatic Steatosis (liver disease)
  • Neurobehavioral Effects
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Renal Toxicity (kidney injury or disease)
  • Scleroderma
  • Wrongful death

Camp Lejeune Justice Act Of 2022

US government estimates close to 900,000 people were exposed to the drinking water at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987. Many of these people drank cancer-causing substances in the water. Until recently, service members were prohibited from filing a claim against the government under federal law. Service members may be entitled for compensation under the newly proposed Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 for injuries and illnesses they suffered as a result of the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.  Individuals who lived, worked, or were exposed, including in utero, for at least 30 days on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to drinking water provided by, or on behalf of, the United States of America will be able to file lawsuits in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Victims will be able to receive compensation for harm caused by exposure to Camp Lejeune's contaminant.  Full compensatory damages, including pain and suffering, permanent injury, emotional damages, loss of consortium, wrongful death would be allowed under the new Act.
 
What does Camp Lejeune Justice Act Do?

The bill will eliminate legal obstacles that prevented Camp Lejeune families from having their day in court.  The Camp Lejeune Justice Act provides service members and their families the right to seek compensation in court.

Who is Eligible for Compensation?

If the following apply to you, you may be eligible for compensation:

  • Veterans and family members on active duty or lived at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987
  • Diagnosed with any of the listed side effects from above

Speak with a Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawyer

Contact attorney Bill Kelly at (212) 732-5040 or bk@mccarthykelly.com for a FREE and confidential case evaluation.