Experienced Lawyers for Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claims

For legal help about Camp Lejeune water contamination settlement amounts and Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits, the lawyers at Pribanic & Pribanic have over forty years of experience successfully representing claims for plaintiffs. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 now provides victims the opportunity to file a lawsuit for injuries incurred after being exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

Did you serve in the military or staff at Camp Lejeune?

If you lived at or visited Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987 and used the water supply contact our Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Attorneys at Pribanic & Pribanic to find out if you have a case. © Wikimedia Commons

Those who served or lived at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina from 1953 to the late 1980s, may be at risk for serious health conditions related to highly contaminated water. 

The drinking water supplied to the majority of on-base family housing between the years of 1953 and 1987 was contaminated with chemicals and volatile organic compounds including perchloroethylene (PCE) or tetrachloroethylene (TCE), benzene, & vinyl chloride. These known carcinogens have links to various cancers and health conditions, many of which can be fatal or life altering.

If your service at Camp Lejeune exposed you or your family to contamination, you deserve compensation for any illnesses that have developed as a result. 

How to File a Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claim

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 is helping more people get the justice they deserve, even after all this time. If you already receive benefits from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), filing a claim and stating your injuries will not jeopardize your existing benefits. 

Unfortunately, the VA sometimes determines disability ratings that fall short or denies claims completely. When this happens, the Camp Lejeune legal team at Pribanic & Pribanic can help you—or your spouse or children who lived or served on the base—gather the documents you need to appeal for a higher disability rating and receive compensation that’s fair.

2011 Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Documentary

How Did Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Happen? 

Dutch Marines with Netherlands Marine Corps and U.S. Marines with 2d Reconnaissance Battalion, 2d Marine Division, at Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 17, 2021. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Sarah Pysher)

In 1982 Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were discovered in the drinking water at Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune, south of Jacksonville, North Carolina at dangerously high amounts. Today, US veterans and their families are still battling the health consequences of exposure to these chemicals. 

Tests from 1982 revealed that three on-base water treatment plants (which were subsequently shut down in 1985) contained and distributed trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), benzene, and vinyl chloride, among other harmful compounds classified as human carcinogens throughout the base.

Reports showing high levels of toxic solvents in untreated groundwater at these plants led to the discovery that the groundwater wells had become contaminated. The three water distribution systems that were found to be contaminated from those wells (Tarawa Terrace, Hadnot Point, and Holcomb Boulevard) historically provided finished water, or water for drinking, bathing, cooking, etc., to the bulk of on-base family housing, to service members, and to employees on the base. 

The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) detected PCE in the groundwater at the Tarawa Terrace water treatment plant; TCE, PCE, and refined petroleum products such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes were found at the Hadnot Point treatment plant; and The Holcomb Boulevard water treatment plant was partially contaminated due to intermittent water supply from Hadnot Point during 1972-1985. 

The source of the contamination was tri-fold: 1. An on-base dry cleaning facility was dumping wastewater laden with dry cleaning chemicals, including PCE, into the drains which was finding its way into the water treatment plants on base, 2. The Marines used PCE to clean machinery and for other on-base operations, 3. Underground storage tanks and waste disposal sites were leaking into Camp Lejeune groundwater.

According to ATSDR, the level of PCE found in the Tarawa Terrace drinking water system was 43 times higher than the U.S. maximum contaminant level allowed in drinking water, i.e. 5 ppb (parts per billion). Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) found at Hadnot Point were trichloroethylene (TCE), vinyl chloride, benzene, and trans-1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE). The maximum level of TCE found in the Hadnot Point drinking water system was almost 300 times higher than the current U.S. maximum contaminant level allowed in drinking water, i.e. 5 ppb.

According to a 2009 article (Camp Lejeune lawsuits have been filed dating back to 2009) from the St. Lawrence County Government, the Marines have maintained that at the time the contamination at Camp Lejeune was found, none of the chemicals discovered were regulated. While this may be partially true, public dangers about the organic solvents were well known. Camp Lejeune was officially listed as an EPA Superfund site in 1989. 

For anyone who visited Camp Lejeune this is a highly concerning issue, especially for those who lived on the base during the time the water contamination was unknown and/or untreated, namely between 1953 and 1987. Water from the three water systems in question was used daily by families, children, an on-base daycare, and civilian employees. 

VOCs that were found  in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune have been linked to various cancers and non-cancer diseases according to ATSDR, many of which can be fatal or life altering. While the water treatment plants in question were closed by 1985, a significant number of people were exposed to the harmful effects of the carcinogens that are estimated to have been present since 1953. Health conditions related to exposure to these chemicals and VOCs have a far range and include but not limited to:

• Bladder cancer

• Breast cancer

• Esophageal cancer

• Female infertility

• Hepatic steatosis

• Kidney cancer

• Leukemia

• Lung cancer

• Miscarriage

• Multiple myeloma

• Myelodysplastic syndromes

• Neurobehavioral effects

• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

• Renal toxicity

• Scleroderma

• Parkinson’s disease

• Other health conditions

If you lived, worked, or otherwise spent time at Camp Lejeune during the years of 1953 and 1987, and are facing a current diagnosis of one or more of the associated conditions, you should not hesitate to speak with an experienced attorney today to help you get the benefits and compensation you deserve.

If you already receive benefits or other compensation from the V.A., you can still file a claim and report your case without losing your benefits. Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Health Issues | Veterans Affairs

Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022

US Veterans, their families, and others exposed to the harmful chemicals and VOCs at Camp Lejeune in the past may have had their claims denied by the VA, or faced scrutiny from other agencies, but a new law is seeking to right this wrong. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act was signed into law in August 2022. The bipartisan bill is intended to ensure that those harmed by the water contamination at Camp Lejeune receive fair and just compensation for their injuries. A summary from the Camp Lejeune Justice Act states: 

“This bill allows certain individuals to sue and recover damages for harm from exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. 

This action is available only to individuals who were exposed to contaminated water for at least 30 days.

The bill prohibits the U.S. government from asserting specified immunity from litigation in response to such a lawsuit.

The bill also prohibits an individual who brings such an action from bringing a separate tort action against the United States based on the same harm.”

While this bill is a step in the right direction in providing long overdue compensation and healthcare, it also poses strict guidelines that may be hard to prove such as exposure to contaminants for a minimum of 30 days and direct link from health issue to the toxins in question as so much time from the contamination event has since passed. 

If you, your family or loved ones, are affected by toxicity related health issues and feel that it might be a result of your time at Camp Lejeune, you deserve fair compensation. While certain issues may be more difficult to prove, an experienced lawyer from Pribanic & Pribanic can help you navigate a Camp Lejeune lawsuit or Camp Lejeune settlement and ultimately the path to justice.