Camp Lejeune Justice Act Opens the Door to Reparations
Did you know that for more than 30 years, the water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with dangerous chemicals? Camp Lejeune is a huge, bustling Marine base located in North Carolina.
The base is like its own city – using machinery, fuel, pesticides, trash removal services, dry cleaning, refrigerants, chemical treatments, construction support, utility maintenance, and everything else you can imagine – to function daily.
Unfortunately, for four decades, these “ordinary” functions resulted in some of the worst water contamination in our nation’s history. The contaminated water at this North Carolina military base caused various cancers, deformities, and more. The water exposed people who lived and worked at the base to dangerous levels of toxic chemicals.
A ten-year statute of repose created by North Carolina law prevented hundreds of victims of Camp Lejeune’s dangerous water from bringing viable lawsuits against the government. The courts dismissed an MDL involving 850 Camp Lejeune contaminated water lawsuits in 2012.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act allows those impacted by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to take action against the government for their role in exposing them and their families to the toxic water. The US Senate and Congress have decided that our military servants and their families should be entitled to seek reparations from the government for exposing them to poison.
If you lived or worked at Camp Lejeune from 1952 to 1987 and you or your family members developed cancer or other health complications, you might be entitled to seek reparations from the US government. Our lawyers at Alonso Krangle LLP are reviewing claims now. Call us today to find out if you can collect reparations for injuries caused by toxic water at Camp Lejeune.
What Caused the Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune?
The water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This included known carcinogens in amounts nearly 300 times higher than safety levels.
At least 74 dangerous chemicals were found in the water. Some chemicals in Camp Lejeune water included:
- Vinyl chloride (VC)
- Benzene
- Trichloroethylene (PCE)
- Tetrachloroethylene (TCE)
Where did these dangerous chemicals come from? PCE is a chemical used in dry cleaning and degreasing metals. TCE is a solvent also used to clean metals. Benzene is used to make other chemicals that are part of the process of creating plastics, synthetic fibers, resins, nylon, and more. PCE and TCE in the groundwater degrade into VC.
TCE, Benzene, and VC are classified as known carcinogens. PCE is classified as a “probable carcinogen.” The military used these chemicals to clean equipment, weapons, and more. PCE contamination can be traced to a local dry cleaning business
For decades, these chemicals poisoned the water at Camp Lejeune, exposing our military and their families to health problems. These families drank, bathed, cooked, and cleaned with water contaminated with dangerous levels of toxic, cancer-causing chemicals – every day.
What Injuries Are Caused by the Contaminated Water at Camp Lejeune?
The chemicals found in the water at Camp Lejeune include known carcinogens. The levels of these chemicals are some of the highest and most dangerous ever found on American soil. Exposure to these chemicals through bathing, drinking, and cooking, can cause various cancers.
TCE and PCE exposure is directly linked to the following types of cancer:
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s-lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Bladder cancer
- Liver cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Breast cancer
One major study by CDC scientist Frank Bove concluded that Marines who served at Camp Lejeune had substantially elevated risks for several causes of death, including kidney, cervical, esophageal, and liver cancer. The Marines at Camp Lejeune also had higher rates of various blood cancers. This study compared Camp Lejeune residents to Marines living on another military base with water not contaminated with toxins.
Exposure to these dangerous chemicals is also linked to some of the following diseases and conditions:
- Scleroderma
- Plastic anemia
- Brain damage
- ALS (Lou Gerhig’sGerhig’s Disease)
- Birth Defects
- Miscarriages
- Infertility
- Parkinson’sParkinson’s disease
- Fatty liver disease
- Kidney disease
- Cardiac arrest
- Bone marrow disease
- Neurological problems
A study by the ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) came to a startling conclusion. The study involved women who lived at Camp Lejeune while pregnant and had children born between 1968 and 1985. For mothers who were exposed to contaminated Camp Lejeune water during their first trimesters, their babies displayed neuro tube birth defects almost five times the average rate.
Could these and other injuries have been avoided? Perhaps.
Did the US Military Know About the Toxic Water at Camp Lejeune?
A long trail of evidence suggests the US Marine Corp knew about the contaminated water for years and did nothing.
Some people allege the USMC took active steps to hide the dangers of the water at Camp Lejeune. How? By failing to include essential details, giving false information in reports, and ignoring the results of numerous studies proving how dangerous the water was.
The discovery that the water contained dangerous levels of toxic, carcinogenic chemicals may have been as early as 1980 when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first started requiring military bases to test their water quality. Even then, it took several years for the USMC to begin closing the contaminated wells.
Who Might be Entitled to File a Claim?
A study showed that just 30 days of continuous exposure to the water at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 might qualify veterans for health VA health benefits if they developed leukemia, bladder cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, miscarriage, neurobehavioral effects, and the autoimmune disease scleroderma.
Under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, You will have to show that you:
- Were exposed to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 and
- You developed one of the cancers or other conditions linked to the dangerous chemicals in the water.
If you can fulfill these requirements, you might be able to file a lawsuit and collect damages for your pain and suffering, lost income, medical expenses, and more.
Call Alonso Krangle, LLP to Find Out if You Can File a Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water Claim
We are reviewing cases now to determine if individuals and families can file claims under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act.
Call Alonso Krangle, LLP, today at (800) 403-6191 to schedule a free evaluation. Find out if you are eligible to collect reparations from the US government for injuries caused by toxic Camp Lejeune water.