Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Lawsuit
Individuals who worked or lived at the Camp Lejeune military base between 1953-1987 and were exposed to the toxic water may now have a claim to obtain compensation for the injuries they sustained. During those years over nine million military personal are estimated to have been stationed at the camp and exposed to the toxic water. The water was contaminated with volatile organic compounds including trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE) benzene; trans-1,2-dichloroethylene DCE, and vinyl chloride. Exposure to the chemicals found in the water has been linked to numerous illnesses including:
- Cancer
- Neurological Defects - Parkinson's, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Birth Defects
- Miscarriages or Female Infertility
On August 10, 2022, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was signed into law. Prior to enactment, affected people could not file a claim because of North Carolina's strict statute of repose. The statute of repose limited the time that individuals could file a claim to ten years from the exposure to the toxic water. So, by the time the pollution and impact it had on individual's health came to light, it was already past the time limitation to file a claim. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act lifts that restriction, providing a two-year window for those harmed to seek justice and file a claim.
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with any of the below referenced illnesses and were stationed on or by Camp Lejeune any time between August 1953 and December 1987, give our New York attorneys a call at 212-566-1000 to pursue a claim.
Contamination Chemicals and Their Uses
- TCE and PCE are industrial solvents commonly used in dry cleaning or machinery cleaning.
- Benzene is widely used and is common when making plastic, nylon, resins, synthetic fibers, dyes, detergents, lubricants, rubbers, drugs, and pesticides.
- Vinyl Chloride is a gas that forms when PCE and TCE break down. The gas is utilized in the production of products such as plastic, pipes, coating, and packaging materials.
Exposure Related Injury
Studies have found the following injuries related to contaminated drinking water by the above chemicals:
- Cancers:
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia AML
- Bladder Cancer
- Brain Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Central Nervous System Cancer
- Cervical Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Hodgkins Lymphoma
- Kidney Cancer
- Leukemia
- Liver Cancer
- Lung Cancer
- Multiple Myeloma
- Myelodysplastic Syndrom
- Non-Hodkings Lymphoma
- Ovarian Cancer
- Rectal Cancer
- Neurological Diseases:
- ALS Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- Parkinson's
- Myelodysplastic Syndromes
- Nerve Damage
- Epilepsy
- MS Multiple Sclerosis
- Neurobehavioral Diseases
- Birth Defects:
- Cardiac Birth Defects
- Physical deformities
- Other Serious Conditions:
- Infertility
- Miscarriage
- Fatty Liver Disease
- Immune Disorders
- Scleroderma
2017 and 2018 studies by ATSDR, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, done to determine whether Camp Lejeune drinking water was contaminated and what serious injuries could be caused by the contamination found that the exposure to the chemicals, TCE and PCE, present in the drinking water, were connected to an increased risk for kidney and bladder cancer. The study compared Camp Lejeune to Camp Pendleton a base that was not exposed to toxic water.
The CDC and Department of Health have linked many serious injuries to exposure to Benzene, including fertility and birth defects. Long-term exposure affects the blood, causing developmental issues in fetuses and fertility issues in men and women.