Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit

Camp Lejeune is a Marine Corps Base located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Established in 1941, it is the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast. As such, it has been home to many millions of servicemembers and their families. It is also the site of one of the worst water contamination cases and government cover-ups in U.S. history.

Many servicemembers and their family members that were exposed to the contamination on Camp Lejeune have developed certain cancers and serious health conditions. If you are one of these individuals, you deserve justice for your injuries. Speak with an attorney about a Camp Lejeune lawsuit.

For 35 years—between 1953 and 1987—nearly one million military service members, civilian workers, and their families lived on base, unknowingly drinking and bathing in water that was contaminated with toxins. Toxins included:

• Oil, petrol and industrial wastewater. Oil, petrol, industrial wastewater, and toxic chemicals (such as degreasers and solvents) were knowingly dumped into local storm drains by the U.S. government.
• Fuel. Buried fuel tanks leaked into the drinking water supply.
• Other chemicals. Other chemicals flowed to the facility from an off-base dry-cleaning company, along with industrial solvents used nearby to clean military equipment.

In the 1970s, the Environmental Protection Agency labeled the base as a “major polluter,” as the water was found to be laced with chemicals at levels that were 240 to 3400 times more than safety standards allow. Despite a 1974 base order requiring safe disposal of solvents, these chemicals were dumped and buried near base wells for years. Even after water contamination was identified in 1980, the pollution still continued. Government officials covered up this illegal dumping for years, and skirted attempts to reveal the truth.

Experts note that the drinking water tested at a Camp Lejeune well was some of the most highly contaminated ever seen in the U.S. An assessment by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found the levels of certain chemicals in the tainted water were high enough to increase the risks of cancer and other serious illnesses, including young children and pregnant women.

Along with many other toxic substances, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in Camp Lejeune’s drinking water, including:

• benzene
• tetrachloroethylene (​​perchloroethylene or PCE)
• trichloroethylene (TCE)
• vinyl chloride (VC)

Many VOCs are known to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals, and exposure to them may cause harmful conditions, including birth defects and miscarriages.

The water contamination at Camp Lejeune has been linked to many different serious, sometimes terminal, injuries. Compensation from a Camp Lejeune injury lawsuit may be able to offset some out-of-pocket medical costs or lost wages associated with these conditions:

Within the Honoring our PACT Act of 2021, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 provides a cause of action against the U.S. government. Anyone who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 for at least 30 days, was exposed to contaminated water, and harmed by such exposure may take legal action. This includes veterans, civilians and families—even those who, at the time, were exposed to the tainted water in the womb.

The Act provides for a two-year statute of limitations—or amount of time an individual has to file a claim to potentially recover funds for injuries from exposure to contaminated water.

If you lived or worked at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987 and believe your cancer or other serious injury was caused by water contamination, call us today. Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. attorneys can evaluate your potential claim with you during a completely free consultation.