People who suffered severe diseases due to exposure to hazardous substances contaminating drinking water while residing and working at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 may be eligible to file claims against the camp for compensation.
Brief History of the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination
Anyone who spent at least thirty days living or working at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 may have been at risk. Individuals on the base during that period were prone to cancer and other severe illnesses due to contaminated drinking water.
For more than 30 years, Camp Lejeune’s two major water systems spread water that was contaminated with benzene and volatile organic compound (VOC). Residential neighborhoods, a daycare, schools, and a hospital also utilized these water systems.
Over 900,000 people were exposed to harmful substances through these water sources. As a result, many have experienced severe and life-threatening illnesses.
Why File a Lawsuit Against Camp Lejeune?
Due to the medical issues caused by the base’s contaminated water supply, residents and employees of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune are suing for compensation.
Since the early 1950s, water treatment facilities that provided the water that people drank, cooked with, and used for baths on the camp base had a toxic load of harmful chemicals. This came to light in 1982.
Although authorities sealed off the polluted wells in 1985, people who drank the water suffered from neurological issues, cancer, and other terrible illnesses. Babies born to women who had prior exposure to the toxic water had birth abnormalities. The contamination was also found to have caused miscarriages
What Toxic Chemicals were in the Camp’s Water Supply?
The government found dozens of pollutants in the Camp Lejeune water system. However, the four primary substances–trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), benzene, and vinyl chloride–are the most harmful to human health.
Dry cleaning and the production of products including plastics, insecticides, packaging, and pipelines require these chemicals. They are all highly carcinogenic and harmful to humans.
Imagine having so much faith in your treated water and discovering that it was killing you!
Who Can Make a Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Claim?
Anyone who experienced one of the diseases in the approved list and lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 cumulative days between August 1953 and December 1987 may be eligible to file a claim.
This includes family members, reservists, guardsmen, civilian employees, and veterans. People who were fetuses at the time may potentially be eligible. You can still speak with a lawyer to determine your eligibility if you have any other severe condition that is not mentioned in the approved list of Camp Lejeune diseases.
There are strict deadlines for submitting your claim. To prevent losing your right to file, be sure to call a lawyer as soon as possible. Some factors the court will consider include the following:
1. Period of Exposure
At Camp Lejeune, two separate water systems had hazardous, carcinogenic contaminants over the course of more than 30 years. Anyone who spent at least 30 days living or working on the Camp Lejeune base between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, is eligible to submit a claim.
2. Risk of Exposure
There were several contaminants in the lake at Camp Lejeune. These contaminants drained into the lake from sources such as an underground fuel storage tank that leaked chemicals from an off-site dry-cleaning shop, and on-site industrial cleaning operations.
People who were exposed likely had contact with the toxic levels of the chemicals and carcinogens present. This is because contaminated water was concentrated in the Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point areas. If you or a loved one used the contaminated Camp Lejeune water, you may be eligible to file a claim.
3. Severity of the Illness or Injury
Hazardous substances known to cause cancer and other serious illnesses were present in polluted water at Camp Lejeune. Some illnesses have been connected by the Department of Veterans Affairs to Camp Lejeune water exposure.
These include leukemia, renal damage, scleroderma, esophageal cancer, lung cancer, female infertility, miscarriage, breast cancer, bladder cancer, leukemia, hepatic steatosis, and neurobehavioral consequences. You may be eligible to submit a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim if you or a member of your family was diagnosed with one of the illnesses on this list.
Conclusion
Any person who satisfies these requirements, or a member of their family, may be qualified to submit a Camp Lejeune claim. You must submit the claim on time for a number of reasons.
The opportunity to pursue the financial restitution your family has long deserved is of highest importance to many of our customers. For some, holding the federal government responsible for the unimaginable loss and suffering brought on by Camp Lejeune water poisoning is the more urgent reason to submit a claim.
Families affected by Camp Lejeune water poisoning can now seek justice after waiting decades without having any legal options.
