Camp Lejeune Lawsuit: Decades of Toxic Water linked to Cancer and Severe Health Complications
Since 1953, over a million people have lived at or near, or worked at Camp Lejeune, a marine base home to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, the 2nd Marine Division, and 2nd Marine Logistics Group, as well as the Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune. For almost 70 years, people who lived at or near or worked at Camp Lejeune have been unfortunately exposed to severe toxic chemicals that have been scientifically linked to very serious health concerns.
The toxic water came from storage tanks, treatment plants as well as nearby dry cleaners that put various toxic chemicals in the camp’s water supply. This included trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), benzene, and vinyl chloride. Anyone who used the water for bathing, drinking, or cooking was likely contaminated.
Over the years, various individuals have brought actions against the military for basically not protecting the inhabitants as well as workers at the camp. To date, these cases all have failed for various legal and technical reasons.
The Senate passes legislation containing the Camp Lejeune Justice Act as part of PACT
Picture courtesy Drugwatch
Currently, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are passing a bill called the Camp Lejeune Justice Act as part of broader legislation which is aimed at providing redress to all those who have been harmed by the toxic water at Camp Lejeune. The Act has bipartisan support in both the senate and the House. President Biden also released a statement in full support of such compensation for those affected.
The new bill, once it becomes law, will allow veterans, family members, workers and others who were on Camp Lejeune base for more than 30 days (not necessarily consecutively but 30 total days between August 1,1953 and December 31, 1987) to have the opportunity to obtain payment for pain and damages caused by such toxic water contamination. Further, individuals that were in utero or a fetus at the time their mother was at the base will also be considered for damages. Any individual must have been born before the year 1988. The type of injuries that will be considered are as follows:
- Leukemia
- Aplastic Anemia and More Myelodysplastic Syndromes
- Birth Defects
- Bladder Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Female Infertility
- Kidney Cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Lung Cancer
- Multiple Myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Renal Failure (Permanent)
- Death
- Scleroderma
- Appendix Cancer
- Brain Cancer
- Bile Duct Cancer
- Colorectal Cancer
- Gallbladder Cancer
- Intestinal Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Sinus Cancer
- Soft Tissue Sarcoma
- Spinal Cancer
- Thyroid Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Hepatic Steatosis (Fatty Liver Disease)
- Miscarriage
- Neurobehavioral Effects
Should you or a family member have been damaged and injured during this time at Camp Lejeune, please contact us so that we, with our team of professionals, may assist you in obtaining damages to which you may be entitled.
Picture courtesy Blog.VA
Typically, veterans are not able to sue the government in connection with their service in the military under a doctrine called the Feres Doctrine. However, at various times in the history of the US government, Congress has stepped in to provide compensation to individuals, such as in connection with Agent Orange and with the 9/11 clean-up. The current bill prohibits the US government from asserting specified immunity from this specific litigation.