Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Attorneys

Camp Lejeune military veterans and their families exposed to the camp’s contaminated drinking water between August 1, 1953 and Dec. 31, 1987 may qualify for compensation.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act on March 3, 2022. The Act was part of legislation aimed to improve benefits for veterans and their families exposed to toxins. The “Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022” then passed the U.S. Senate on June 15, 2022; so that injured Marines, Seabees and their families may at last be able to seek justice for exposure to Camp Lejeune’s toxic water.

Family members or civilians who were at Camp LeJeune and have an injury may also be entitled to compensation. Claimants in these cases will likely include someone who was in utero there and whose mother lived at the Camp for more than 30 days while pregnant with the injured person.

Thankfully, the Senate did the right thing and passed the Act virtually unchanged. Our law firm urged those injured by toxic water at Camp Lejeune to contact their US senators, asking them to pass H.R. 6482 to compensate Camp Lejeune survivors.

U.S. Government knew Camp LeJeune Water was Contaminated

U.S. Government officials knew for decades that water was contaminated at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. They nevertheless failed to address the problem. From 1953 to 1987, those who lived on, worked in, or visited the base and drank the water, or cooked or bathed in it, did so at serious risk to their health.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Case Criteria

Our law firm is investigating cases for people who lived or worked on the Camp Lejeune Base for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 (either military or family of military who lived with the military person based there) and received an honorable discharge.

Qualifying Injuries for the Camp Lejeune Settlement

Those exposed to Camp Lejeune water who were later diagnosed with one of the following health problems may have a case:

• Adult leukemia
• Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
• Bladder cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Liver cancer
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Parkinson’s disease
• Esophageal Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Renal Toxicity
• Scleroderma
• Lung Cancer
• Miscarriage
• Cardiac Birth Defects (for those whose pregnant mother was living at the camp at least 30 days)
• Neurobehavioral Effects
• Female Infertility

Volatile Organic Compounds

In 1982 the U.S. Marine Corps found Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the drinking water from two of its eight water treatment plants at Camp Lejeune.

Between those years, the government found traces of PCE (perchloroethylene), TCE (trichloroethylene), Benzene and Vinyl Chloride in the camp’s drinking water in amounts exceeding, by hundreds of times, the current EPA maximum contamination levels. The two most toxic water plants were found to be Hadnot Point and Tarawa Terrace. The government shut down the most contaminated wells in February 1985.

Hadnot Point water treatment plant (opened in 1942) served the Mainside Barracks, Hospital Point Family Housing, Family Housing at Midway Park, Paradise Point, and Berkeley Manor. The government discovered several sources of contamination from underground storage tank leaks, waste disposal sites, and industrial spills. It also found several VOCs at Hadnot Point that included PCE, Benzene, and Vinyl Chloride.

Tarawa Terrace (opened in 1952) supplied water to Tarawa Terrace housing and Knox Trailer Park. The contamination source was found to be from the waste disposal runoff of an off-base dry cleaning company – ABC One-Hour Cleaners.

Other injuries thought to be linked to the camp’s water include:
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Rectal Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Esophageal Cancer
• Brain/CNS Cancers

Legal Changes on the Horizon

Because the recent bill passing through the House and Senate, it may soon be possible to file a claim over Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water. If Biden now signs the Act into law, as he is expected to do, Marines, Seabees, and their family members, along with civilians and government contractors who spent time on the LeJeune base for at least 30 days between 1953 and 1987, might be able to receive financial awards if they suffer from one of the serious illnesses listed above.

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Camp Lejeune History

Opened in 1942, the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is home to II Marine Expeditionary Force, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, and a naval hospital. Some 150,000 people currently live on the base and in the surrounding community. An estimated one million people have lived or passed through Camp Lejeune between August 1953 and December 1987. Hundreds of thousands of veterans, their families, and workers who lived off base at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina were exposed to the toxic chemicals that have been scientifically linked to serious health concerns.

Free Case Evaluation – Camp LeJeune Water Contamination Attorneys

If you or someone you love was injured by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, contact us now for a free case evaluation. You may qualify for compensation under the proposed new law.

Email us now or call (888) 940-7199.

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