Bart Durham Personal Injury News & Blog

Contaminated Water at Camp Lejeune Contains Cancer Causing Chemicals

Written by Bart Durham Injury Law | Jul 22, 2022 12:00:00 PM

Veterans and their family members who served on active duty or resided at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, may be able to collect disability, health benefits, and financial compensation for several medical conditions linked to contaminated water.

These serious medical conditions are as follows:

  • Esophageal cancer
  • Breast cancer
  • Kidney cancer
  • Lung cancer
  • Bladder cancer
  • Renal toxicity
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Female infertility
  • Miscarriage
  • Scleroderma
  • Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
  • Leukemia
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome
  • Hepatic steatosis
  • Neurobehavioral effects

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer or another serious illness after exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, you may be eligible to file a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit.

Camp Lejeune cancer lawsuits and water contamination claims allow Veterans and their families harmed by water contamination at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 to seek compensation for the suffering and loss that have resulted from exposure to harmful cancer-causing chemicals.

Pregnancies & Birth Defects

Miscarriages and stillbirths are also associated with Camp Lejeune’s drinking water. There were more than 100 cases of birth defects attributable to Camp Lejeune water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was able to confirm 15 cases of spina bifida and anencephaly, 24 oral clefts and 13 cancers.

It concluded that women who drank the tap water at Camp Lejeune were four times more likely to have children with birth defects than women in similar circumstance that didn’t drink it. More than 80 men who spent time at Camp Lejeune developed a rare form of breast cancer.

Camp Lejeune Water Lawsuits Poised to Begin

The Marines have a responsibility to service members, their families and civilian workers to ensure safe living and working conditions. Water contamination at Camp Lejeune was discovered in the early 1980s, but the contaminated wells remained in use for several more years.

Thousands of Camp Lejeune cancer cases could have been prevented had quick action been taken to close the contaminated water systems sooner. Any Veteran or family member who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, may qualify to file a Camp Lejeune water contamination claim.

Camp Lejeune Contaminated Drinking Water History

Over the course of four decades, contaminated drinking water at North Carolina's U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune put hundreds of thousands of people at risk for cancer and other serious illnesses. Between 1953 and 1987, two of the eight wells at Camp Lejeune were contaminated with harmful chemicals known to cause cancer and other severe illnesses.

These wells supplied contaminated drinking water to children at daycare or school, to military families for drinking and bathing, to patients in the hospital, and to service members and civilian workers in their place of employment. Fifteen different illnesses and medical conditions including several types of cancer, reproductive problems, birth defects, and Parkinson's disease have been linked to Camp Lejeune water contamination.

Camp Lejeune water contamination impacted thousands of families who were dedicated to serving their country, causing undue suffering, severe illness, permanent disability, and loss. For decades, people who lived and worked at Camp Lejeune were unaware of their exposure to toxic chemicals through Camp Lejeune water contamination.

Access to medical care for Camp Lejeune water illnesses was finally granted to all Veterans for qualifying medical conditions in 2012. But through the decades, victims of Camp Lejeune water contamination were prevented by law from filing a claim against the Marines and therefore had no recourse for their suffering.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claim Lawyers Take Action

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act enables Veterans and family members who have suffered from Camp Lejeune water contamination to seek compensation through filing Camp Lejeune water lawsuits. Individuals who match this description are eligible for free, no-obligation case reviews with an attorney handling national Camp Lejeune water lawsuits.

Lawyers handling Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits work on contingency, meaning you will never pay legal fees unless we win compensation for you. If you are already receiving medical benefits or other compensation from the V.A. for Camp Lejeune water, you still qualify for filing a claim.

Filing a lawsuit is the only way to secure compensation for the pain, suffering and loss that have resulted from Camp Lejeune cancer cases. Our attorneys accept Camp Lejeune water lawsuits from around the United States, and offer no-cost, no-obligation Camp Lejeune cancer lawsuit case review for persons throughout the nation who match this description.

To discuss your situation in detail with an experienced legal team and to learn about Camp Lejeune lawsuit time limits in your state, please complete our online contact form or call us 24/7 – 800.844.1712.