The Camp Lejeune Lawsuit
Camp Lejeune is a United States Marine Corps base located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. In August 2012, thousands of Marines and their families who lived at the base filed a lawsuit alleging that the water supplied to the base was contaminated with industrial chemicals.
The Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit alleges that the contamination caused a variety of health problems, including cancer, birth defects, and other illnesses. The lawsuit is currently in the process of being litigated, and a decision is expected to be made soon.
If you or someone you know has been affected by the contaminated water at Camp Lejuene, you may be entitled to compensation. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you understand your legal rights and options.
Camp Lejeune Water Contaminants
The Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit alleges that the water at the base was contaminated with a variety of industrial chemicals, including:
* Benzene
* TCE (trichloroethylene)
* PCE (perchloroethylene)
* Vinyl chloride
These chemicals are known to be hazardous to human health, and have been linked to a variety of health problems, including cancer, birth defects, and other illnesses.
The lawsuit alleges that the Marine Corps was aware of the contamination but failed to take adequate steps to protect the health of Marines and their families. The Marines have denied these allegations, and the case is currently in litigation.
A decision is expected to be made soon, and if you or someone you know has been affected by the Camp Lejeune water contamination, you may be entitled to compensation. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you understand your legal rights and options.
Medical Problems
According to the United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs, there is enough scientific evidence linking the following health and medical problems to Camp Lejeune contaminated water exposure:
* Kidney cancer
* Liver cancer
* Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
* Leukemia
* Multiple myeloma
* Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
* Scleroderma
* Parkinson’s disease
* Aplastic anemia and other illnesses of the blood
* Neurobehavioral effects
* Female reproductive cancers
* Male reproductive cancers
* Birth defects
Contact with Camp Lejeune drinking water contaminants may be linked to a host of additional medical problems. In fact, a long list of possible health issues have been connected to the chemicals found in the water at the bottom. Residents and employees working on site who were not aware they were in danger because of the presence of these hazardous chemicals in their bodies.
The chemicals that disrupt hormones, like those found in cigarettes, may have long-term health effects that manifest as disease in the body years later — and it’s frequently too late to reverse medical conditions and damage.
The VA
The Veteran’s Affairs are required to provide health care for any veteran who served at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more between 1953 and 1987, and they have set up a special program to help those veterans. The VA will pay for treatment of any illness that is determined to be related to exposure to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
In order to receive benefits, veterans must first provide evidence of their service at Camp Lejeune during the relevant time period. They will also need to show that they have a health condition that is on the VA’s list of diseases associated with exposure to the contaminated water.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs has acknowledged that the contaminated water affects not just service members and their families, but also those of contractors, civilians who worked at the military base during the same period, and family members. ATSDR has developed models to estimate the full impact of the pollution at Camp Lejeune.
Legal Help
If you or a loved one has been affected by the Camp Lejeune water contamination, you may be entitled to compensation. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you understand your legal rights and options. Contact a lawyer today for a free initial consultation.
The Camp Lejeune water contamination is a tragic event that has affected the lives of many Marines, their families, and others who were exposed to the contaminated water. If you or someone you know has been affected by this contamination, it is important to understand your legal rights and options. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you seek the compensation you deserve.
