Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

UPDATE: Senate Passes Camp Lejeune Justice Act

On August 2nd, 2022, the United States Senate passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act as part of the Honoring Our PACT Act, providing veterans with much-needed resources to treat conditions that were developed or caused by their time serving the country. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk where it is expected to be signed into law early next week. Passage of the Act allows victims move forward with filing claims and seeking compensation.

What Are the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claims?

The military training facility Camp Lejeune was founded in 1942. It has been a temporary or permanent home for thousands of service members and their families and a place of work for thousands of employees and even civilian contractors.

In the 1980s, it was found that the water was contaminated with chemicals. The chemicals came from the base water treatment facilities and a dry-cleaning company. The contaminated water exposed the service members, their family members, and the civilians to toxic chemicals.

The Veterans Administration denied water contamination claims for illness or disability. However, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 allows the victims to file Camp Lejeune water contamination claims and receive compensation.

What Did They Find in the Water Contamination Testing at Camp Lejeune?

They found volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as trichloroethylene (TCE), a degreaser, a dry-cleaning solvent, and perchloroethylene (PCE), and they also found more than 70 chemicals in the water contamination testing at the military training facility Camp Lejeune.

What Are the Causes of the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination?

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found multiple causes of water contamination at Camp Lejeune. The causes of the Camp Lejeune water contamination were waste disposal sites, toxic compounds, such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), underground storage tanks, and products, such as dry-cleaning agents and degreasers.

Here are the main causes of the water contamination at the military training facility Camp Lejeune:

Perchloroethylene (PCE) and Trichloroethylene (TCE)

Manufacturers use Trichloroethylene (TCE) to manufacture hydrofluorocarbons. TCE was mostly used as a solvent and degreaser on metal military equipment. However, PCE and TCE can increase the chances of developing different types of cancers, such as kidney and liver cancers.

In addition, exposure to TCE can cause laryngeal, prostate, myeloma, and colon cancers. PCE and TCE in dry-cleaning agents can cause lung, cervical, esophageal, kidney, and pancreatic cancers.

Benzene

Benzene can be found in cleaning products. Exposure to benzene can cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma, and myeloid leukemia. Benzene can affect the immune system. It can, therefore, increase the risk of infection.

Vinyl Chloride

Burning plastics, such as PVC pipes, produces vinyl chloride, which is highly carcinogenic. Vinyl chloride can cause different types of cancers, such as testicular cancer, colon cancer, and angiosarcoma. In addition, exposure to vinyl chloride can increase the risk of developing angiosarcoma, lung cancer, and liver cancer.

Toluene

According to several studies, exposure to toluene can increase the chances of developing cancers of the rectum, esophagus, stomach, lungs, and breasts. In addition, exposure to toluene can increase the risk of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, lymphosarcoma, and lymphatic leukemia.

What Are the Side-Effects of the Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune?

Some service members and civilians, who lived in Camp Lejeune, have been diagnosed with one or more health conditions. The main cause of these health conditions was the chemical substances in the water at Camp Lejeune. If you have been diagnosed with one of the following conditions, you can hire a lawyer to help you seek compensation for your illness.

Here are the side-effects of the water contamination at Camp Lejeune:

• Neurobehavioral effects
• Leukemia
• Scleroderma
• Female infertility
• Renal toxicity
• Miscarriage
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Lung cancer
• Myelodysplastic syndrome
• Hepatic steatosis
• Bladder cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Breast cancer
• Esophageal cancer

If you or a loved one has lived at the military training facility Camp Lejeune for more than 30 days between the early 1950s to late 1980s and has been diagnosed with one of these conditions, you can seek compensation for your illness.

However, it is expensive to recover from most of these conditions. It is even more expensive to take care of a sick family member. That is why we highly encourage you to hire a water contamination lawyer in Rogers, Arkansas to help you file a lawsuit against the military training facility Camp Lejeune for water contamination issues.

At Keith Law Group, we have the necessary skills and experience to handle the Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit. We will protect your rights and ensure you receive what you are entitled to.

What is the Janey Ensminger Act and How Can It Help the Suffering Caused By the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination?

Once it was found that there was water contamination at Camp Lejeune, the U.S. government and the Marine officials took immediate action to provide healthcare to the victims. A lot of people experienced horrible effects due to the water contamination, including Jerry Ensminger.

Unfortunately, Jerry Ensminger’s daughter, Janey Ensminger, passed away after developing cancer. And she was only 9 years old. She spent some time at the military training facility Camp Lejeune. That is why Jerry Ensminger began a petition asking U.S. authorities to provide healthcare to the service members who were exposed to the water contamination.

The U.S. authorities did not ignore Jerry Ensminger’s petition. The Janey Ensminger Act was passed by the U.S. Senate on 18th July 2012. The bill honored Jerry and his daughter, Janey, and authorized the provision of healthcare services to both the service members and their family members who lived at the Camp Lejeune between 1957 to 1987.

The people who developed conditions after staying at the military training facility are eligible to receive healthcare. The bill applies to over 750,000 individuals. However, the Act only applies to specific conditions linked to the water contamination at Camp Lejeune. The Department of Veteran Affairs provides medical care to the victims.

If you believe you fall under the specific requirements and restrictions of the Janey Ensminger Act, you can contact our water contamination lawyer at Keith Law Group at (479) 326-7734. We can help you determine if you are eligible to receive medical care from the Department of Veteran Affairs.

What is the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022?

It is a bipartisan bill meant to help the victims of the water contamination get compensation. 5 Democrats and 4 Republicans co-sponsored the bill. The bill allows veterans and their families to seek compensation for their injuries and damages resulting from exposure to chemical substances.

It overrides the existing statute of limitations for such cases. Therefore, veterans and their families have a new deadline to file a lawsuit against the military training facility Camp Lejeune.

Who Can File for the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit?

The people, who lived at the Camp Lejeune for 30 or more days and developed a condition, can file for the Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit. They do not even have to prove that their condition was caused by exposure to chemical substances.

If you lived at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987, you can be eligible for nursing home care, hospital care, and medical services through VA, for your condition or illness caused by exposure to the chemical substances.

Contact Our Mass Tort Lawyers Today for a Free Case Review!

If you or a family member lived at the military training facility Camp Lejeune from the early 1950s to the late 1980s, you might qualify to seek medical care from the Department of Veteran Affairs. It is not easy to know if you qualify to receive disability benefits and medical care.

We highly recommend hiring an experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable attorney to file your Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit. Having a good lawyer can increase your chances of receiving the disability benefits and medical care you are entitled to.

At Keith Law Group, we can work with experts to help you determine the link between your condition or illness and the water contamination at Camp Lejeune. We will protect your rights. We will work hard to help you get the benefits you are entitled to. We can even help you appeal denied VA disability benefits. We can provide more medical evidence to increase your chances of getting the compensation.

If you are ready to seek compensation for your injuries and damages, contact us today at (479) 326-7734 for a FREE case evaluation.