Camp Lejeune Toxic Tap Water

As many as 75,000 Marines and their families living at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1957 and 1987 received drinking water contaminated with two toxic chemicals —tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE). The contamination was discovered in 1982, and now, decades later, Congress is beginning to look into the issue. Delayed government action, however, hasn’t stopped former residents of the Marine base from filing suit over the toxic tap water. Eight hundred and fifty former residents are currently seeking $4 billion in damages for exposure to toxic tap water, which some claim is responsible for numerous cases of cancer and birth defects.

If your family lived in Tarawa Terrace family housing at Camp Lejeune between 1957 and 1987, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit to recover your damages. Contact us today to learn more.

Toxic Tap Water: The Dangers

The toxic tap water at Camp Lejeune exposed residents to extremely high levels of the chemical solvents PCE and TCE. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), residents of the Marine base were exposed to drinking water containing as much as 200 micrograms of PCE per liter —a level far exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) allowable contaminant level of 5 micrograms per liter.

Water contaminated with TCE and PCE has been linked to a number of serious health effects, including:

• Lung, liver, and kidney cancer
• Neurological effects
• Non-Hodgkins lymphoma
• Bladder and breast cancer

In children whose mothers ingested water contaminated with TCE and PCE during pregnancy, reported health effects include:

• Leukemia
• Low birth weight
• Fetal death
• Birth Defects such as major heart defects, cleft lip and other oral cleft defects, neural tube defects, eye defects, and chonal atresia

Exposed to Toxic Tap Water?

If your family was exposed to toxic tap water at Camp Lejeune, you may be able to seek justice for your suffering and losses. Protect your legal rights by contacting an experienced attorney today. We will put you in contact with a qualified lawyer who can answer your questions and help you protect and maximize your legal rights.