For over thirty years, the drinking water at the United States Marie Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina was contaminated, exposing several hundreds of thousands of military members, their families, and civilians to dangerous chemicals that have been found to lead to cancer.
In 1982, the USMC discovered that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The VOCs found in the water included benzene (which composes plastics, resins, and synthetic fibers), tetrachloroethylene (also known as PCE or perchloroethylene, which is used for metal degreasing and dry cleaning), trichloroethylene (also known as TCE, which is a solvent used to clean metal), and vinyl chloride (also known as VC, which results from TCE and PCE being exposed to groundwater). Of those VOCs, benzene, VC, and TCE are known cancer-causing chemicals, while PCE has been considered as potentially cancer-causing. In addition to causing cancer, exposure to the chemicals increases the risk of certain birth defects, as well as other long-lasting health problems. To make things worse, studies have established that the drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated from 1953 to 1987.
For someone to be eligible for the Camp Lejeune lawsuit, there are certain criteria that have to be met. First, a person or their loved one must have been exposed to the contaminated drinking water for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987. Second, a person must have suffered from cancer, or some other health condition related to the water contamination. If you or someone you know was at Camp Lejeune and was affected by the contaminated water, call 662-545-4445 to schedule your initial consultation. Our legal team wants to hear your story and discuss potential options that will help you get the justice you deserve.