10 Facts About Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

Hearing the facts about Camp Lejeune’s water contamination isn’t easy for anyone, least of all those whose lives were forever changed by health issues. Countless military families learned the hard way how exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can affect healthy, active Marines, civilians, and unborn babies. The Government worked to keep Camp Lejeune facts buried, but thankfully, advocates for those affected are speaking up to expose the truth.

What’s the Story Behind Camp Lejeune?

The story behind Camp Lejeune reads like a nightmare for most families. The history of Camp Lejeune water contamination began in the 1950s, and throughout the following decades until the late 1980s, anyone living or working on base was at risk of developing devastating health effects from chemical exposure. The Government was alerted to the toxins but did nothing to remedy the situation, hiding the test results from the base residents. Decades passed without action, and as a result, countless veterans and their family members fell ill with cancer and other diseases, without understanding why. Fast-forward to today, when these military families finally have the means to hold the Government accountable.

The toxic water at Camp Lejeune caused immeasurable pain and lasting physical and emotional scars for those who survived it. While nothing will change the past, improving awareness of this crisis can help prevent this situation from repeating itself, and get veterans and their families the recognition they deserve.

1. Camp Lejeune’s Water Was Contaminated for Decades

Camp Lejeune water issues began in 1953 and continued until 1987. The water was contaminated by VOCs. The three-decade timeline of water issues at Camp Lejeune exposed a countless number of people to these hazardous compounds.

2. The Government Concealed Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune

One of the most frustrating facts about Camp Lejeune’s water contamination is the Government’s concealment of studies and failure to warn residents. Despite discovering the contaminants, the Government remained silent for decades.

3. Numerous Health Conditions Are Linked to VOCs in the Water

It’s a fact that exposure to VOCs in the water at Camp Lejeune caused many adverse health conditions. Studies show an increased risk of death from related diseases and a high cancer incidence rate for people exposed to the compounds. Though this is not an exhaustive list, common medical conditions linked to Camp Lejeune’s water include:

• Adverse Birth Outcomes
• ALS
• Aplastic anemia or other myelodysplastic syndromes
• Bile duct cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Brain/CNS cancer
• Breast cancer
• Cardiac birth defects
• Cervical cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Infertility
• Gallbladder cancer
• Hypersensitivity skin disorder
• Kidney cancer
• Leukemia
• Liver cancer
• Hepatic steatosis
• Lung cancer
• Multiple myeloma
• Neurobehavioral effects
• Non-cancer kidney disease / end stage renal disease
• Non-cardiac birth defects
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Ovarian cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Parkinson’s disease
• Sinus cancer
• Soft tissue cancer
• Renal toxicity
• Systemic sclerosis / systemic scleroderma
• Thyroid cancer

4. Camp Lejeune’s Water Has Been Studied Since at Least the ’80s

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have studied the water at Camp Lejeune since the 1980s. Scientific studies linked Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water to adverse pregnancy outcomes, heightened mortality rates, and other negative impacts. Even 50 years later, the ATSDR continues to offer facts about Camp Lejeune’s water contamination through its studies. This agency’s cancer incidence rate study is one of the most recent analyses to date, confirming the connection of the toxins in the water to various cancers.

5. Chemicals in the Water Were 280x Past Safe Limits

People were exposed to four chemicals in the water at Camp Lejeune: Trichloroethylene (TCE), Tetrachloroethylene (PCE), Vinyl Chloride, and Benzene. These were found in amounts well past safe limits. The highest measurement of PCE found was 42 times the current maximum allowed by the EPA, and TCE was measured at 280 times the permitted levels.

6. Camp Lejeune Water Issues Impacted Millions

Due to the dense population on base over the 30-plus years of contamination, it is estimated that nearly one million people were present there during the timeline of Camp Lejeune’s water issues. The impact of this crisis extends well beyond that number, though. The illnesses and deaths caused a ripple effect across families that is still being felt today, decades after the toxins were discovered. Parents who lost babies, children fighting cancers, adults with cardiac birth defects, and families of those experiencing Parkinson’s disease or neurobehavioral effects have been forever changed by their time at Camp Lejeune.

7. Nearly Everyone on Base Was at Risk

Anyone who spent 30 days on the Camp Lejeune military base, consecutively or cumulatively, is a candidate for developing health conditions from exposure. Because the contaminated water served schools, daycare centers, medical buildings, recreational facilities, training locations, housing units, and barracks, everyone on base, from decorated Marines to unborn babies and civilian school teachers, was at risk of exposure.

8. People Still Recall the Water’s Taste & Smell

A foul smell and distinct taste are recurring themes you’ll hear when speaking to people about the water at Camp Lejeune. Some former residents of the base recall how quickly their concerns were dismissed. No one imagined they were being poisoned or that the Government they’d signed up to faithfully serve would conceal information about Camp Lejeune’s water issues.

9. Official Notifications Were Delayed for Nearly 30 Years

It took nearly 30 years for facts about Camp Lejeune’s water contamination to be shared with the public, including past base residents. Congress mandated that the Government send out official notifications of the water contamination in 2009, long after the discovery of the toxins in the 1980s. These letters arrived in the mailboxes of veterans’ families and finally offered answers to their unexplained health conditions. Unfortunately, the facts would arrive too late for many who had already succumbed to illnesses from Camp Lejeune’s water issues.

10. Help Is Available for Camp Lejeune Survivors

Advocates have been working behind the scenes for decades to bring Camp Lejeune facts to the forefront. The PACT Act improved benefits for veterans and their families, and this monumental bill included the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, a provision that removed legal roadblocks for those seeking retribution. Ed Bell, of Bell Legal Group, spent years meeting with veterans to hear the facts about Camp Lejeune water contamination firsthand. He continues to fight for all who have been affected, appointed by the Court as lead counsel in the lawsuit.