For decades, U.S. Marines and their families consumed highly contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The water at Camp Lejeune contained volatile organic compounds linked to multiple cancers. While Marines and their families innocently drank this water for years, the government initially hid the contamination from them. Only after environmental regulations began requiring testing, did the truth begin to surface. Like so many other injuries caused after years of exposures, it was too late legally to act. That is, until now.
This summer, Congress passed a new law providing relief for affected families. Now, Marines and their family members can seek compensation for cancers and other health issues caused by drinking contaminated water at the base. The new law allows time for claims. But, that time is limited.
I recently wrote a long article detailing the history of Camp Lejeune, its contaminated water, and the injuries families are now suffering. You can read my article on the HOT TOPICS section of our website. Along with a history of the problems, I discuss the actual carcinogenic chemicals as well as some of the specific injuries linked by research to the toxic water.
In coming weeks, I plan to write additional articles discussing these issues. I’ll publish them here on this blog. Let’s start with this question — Why is a toxic exposure at Camp Lejeune important to Alabama? After all, Camp Lejeune is located in North Carolina. Here is why. The toxic exposures at Camp Lejeune occurred over several decades and up until the mid-1980s. Many Marines trained at the base. Many Marine families lived at the base. Those Marines have now retired from the military. These Marines and their families are now living in Alabama and across the United States.
Huntsville (and its surrounding area) has a huge population of retired military members. According to a recent map from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), between 8.33% to 13.93% of the population in Madison County consists of retired military members. That’s a significant percentage of our local population. How does the entire State of Alabama compare? According to the VA, 8.4% of Alabama’s population consists of veterans compared to only 6.8% of the United States as a whole. When you consider the number of veterans now living in Alabama, you begin to understand how previously living and working around toxic water at Camp Lejeune impacts our state. In many cases, the cancers caused by Camp Lejeune’s water occured years and years after the exposure. That leaves many local families now paying the price. That leaves our local medical community working to treat cancers.
I won’t detail the whole history of toxic water at Camp Lejeune in this post. My website Hot Topics article provides those details. If you have questions about injuries or cancers from the contaminated water at the base, let me know. We are happy to talk with you.
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