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Nearly a million people were exposed to toxins at Camp Lejeune due to the sizable base population and its widespread contamination. Despite its tragic history of contaminated water, Camp Lejeune has remained a frequent stop for military personnel since it was built in the 1940s. Back then it was one of the largest military facilities on the East Coast—a distinction it retains to this day. This sprawling installation has been home to many, including Marines who reported to duty with a spouse or kids in tow, and civilian teachers, janitors, food service workers, and doctors seeking work on the base. During the time the water was contaminated, anyone—military or otherwise, adults and infants—were at risk of being poisoned.
Section 804 of the PACT Act, known as the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, states the following:
(b) In General.—An individual, including a veteran (as defined in section 101 of title 38, United States Code), or the legal representative of such an individual, who resided, worked, or was otherwise exposed (including in utero exposure) for not less than 30 days during the period beginning on August 1, 1953, and ending on December 31, 1987, to water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, that was supplied by, or on behalf of, the United States may bring an action in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina to obtain appropriate relief for harm that was caused by exposure to the water at Camp Lejeune.
30-Day Exposure Time Frame
Anyone living or working at Camp Lejeune for 30 days total (consecutively or not) was considered ‘exposed’ to the toxic water. Because contaminant levels exceeded permissible limits, 30 days was an adequate time for the chemicals to cause epigenetic changes and harmful effects. The average station for most Camp Lejeune Marines lasted 18 times longer than 30 days.
Camp Lejeune’s Exposure Study
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has a long history of studying the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The agency leaned on water modeling and epidemiological studies to complete its 2017 exposure assessment for Camp Lejeune, which identified a contamination time frame and health impacts of exposure. (See also the ATSDR Camp Lejeune Morbidity and Cancer Incidence studies.)
The Camp Lejeune Lawsuit
Under the provisions of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, people who previously filed an administrative claim can then file lawsuits against the Government. This law applied to military personnel and anyone who lived, worked, or was otherwise exposed to the toxic water during the contamination period, including those exposed in utero. Finally, hundreds of families who buried infants in Baby Heaven cemetery and whose children experienced cardiac birth defects and cancer can seek acknowledgment of the hardships they have faced.
Though it is too late for thousands of people who have passed away due to diseases caused by Camp Lejeune’s water, it is not too late for the survivors.