On August 10, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. The PACT Act, which includes the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, could substantially benefit anyone who lived or worked at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between 1953 and 1987.
Thanks to the PACT Act, Camp Lejeune toxic water victims can finally file lawsuits after facing decades of frustrating denials and chronic suffering. Find out if you or a loved one is newly eligible to file a claim now.
File a Camp Lejeune Water ClaimCamp Lejeune Water Contamination Chemicals
Military personnel, civilian workers, and families living or working on U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune were exposed to contaminated water for decades.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) reported that in the early 1980s, two of Camp Lejeune’s water treatment plants – Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point – were contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
The toxic materials were released into the groundwater from regular base operations and an off-base dry cleaning business. VOCs are known to cause cancer and many other serious health issues.
ATSDR determined that the VOCs found in Camp Lejeune water included:
- Benzene
- Dichloroethylene (DCE)
- Tetrachloroethylene – also known as perchloroethylene (PCE)
- Trichloroethylene (TCE)
- Vinyl chloride
- Other contaminants
Exposure to VOCs can cause a wide range of deadly health problems, including cancer and birth defects. In some areas, VOC levels were 400 times what safety standards allowed.
Thankfully, help has arrived. Victims can finally seek justice and financial compensation if they lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between 1953 and 1987. This is a blessing for U.S. veterans who have been suffering — many of whom are older and now live in nursing homes.
Health Issues From Camp Lejeune Water
People living in the residential areas served by the two contaminated water systems were mainly enlisted families and unmarried service personnel.
Many people exposed were young families – including infants and children. Therefore, Camp Lejeune water contamination health issues affected a tragic range of victims, including women, young children, and infants.
Health issues associated with Camp Lejeune water include:
- Birth defects: Birth defects reported in those born at Camp Lejeune include low birth weight, neural tube defects, oral cleft defects (like a cleft lip), and other major congenital malformations. Miscarriages and fetal deaths have also been reported.
- Cancers: Camp Lejeune-related cancers include leukemia, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma (cancer of plasma cells in the blood), and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cancer of the lymph system).
- Heart disease: Marines and Navy personnel have suspected a link between Camp Lejeune contaminated water and heart disease for decades.
- Neurological effects: Parkinson’s disease, memory problems, PTSD, motor difficulties, and other neurological disorders are linked to the toxic water.
- Other conditions: Aplastic anemia (failure to make bone marrow) and other bone-marrow-related health problems have been linked to Camp Lejeune drinking water.
Some of these health issues (particularly Camp Lejeune-related cancers) could take long spans of time to develop and affect victims for the rest of their lives. Older U.S. veterans could turn to long-term care facilities to get care for chronic health problems, only to suffer even more due to nursing home neglect or abuse.
When Was the Camp Lejeune Water Contaminated?
Camp Lejeune water was contaminated between 1953 and 1987. Based on these dates, the oldest victims of Camp Lejeune could be in their late 80s or beyond today.
However, since babies were born on the base, people as young as 35 could still be dealing with chronic illnesses or disabilities that stem from Camp Lejeune water contamination.
Camp Lejeune Water Risk Factors
Those at the greatest risk of Camp Lejeune water poisoning were the Marines who trained on the base.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in the North Carolina heat, a Marine in training could have consumed up to eight liters of water each day between drinking and bathing.
Military wives also drank, did dishes, and bathed themselves and their children in the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
Pregnant women were also at increased risk, especially between 1972 and 1985, when they were likely to have been exposed to TCE. Developing babies exposed to TCE are at an increased risk of heart problems and immune system disorders.
Additionally, infants and young children who lived on the base between 1956 and 1984 may be at increased risk for cancer.
“Marines have complained they and their children suffered cancer, including breast cancer and fatal leukemia, because of the contamination.”
– NBC News
Thankfully, if your loved one in a nursing home became sick, had a miscarriage, or lost a child to cancer after living or working at Camp Lejeune, you may now have new legal rights.
Camp Lejeune Water VA Benefits
Since 2012, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has offered benefits to Camp Lejeune victims. However, most people agree these benefits were not enough.
Even worse, most veterans had their claims repeatedly denied or delayed, leaving them with few options to pay for care.
Thanks to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, eligible veterans – and their survivors – can file water contamination lawsuits and access financial compensation. This is an important new resource for veterans in nursing homes and anyone else harmed by Camp Lejeune drinking water.
Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuits
Anyone who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days from 1953 to 1987 may be eligible to file a Camp Lejeune water lawsuit.
This eligibility extends to veterans who have since died and may also include parents who lived or worked on the base and tragically lost a child due to an illness related to Camp Lejeune water contamination.
Does My Loved One in a Nursing Home Have Camp Lejeune Legal Options?
If your loved one currently lives in a nursing home and lived or worked at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina for at least 30 days as far back as the 1950s, they may finally have legal options. The children of U.S. Marines living in nursing homes might qualify for legal action too.
