Veteran Advocate
The water at Camp Lejeune, a Marine base that began operating in 1941, isn’t just bad – it’s unprecedented, according to a new federal report.
The study, conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry, created a historical model to estimate the levels of carcinogens
in the drinking water from 1953 to 1985.
To accomplish this, the scientists examined data from tens of thousands
of federal and state documents during the period when the water wasn’t tested.
The results of the study, which
are considered highly reliable, are staggering.
Certain carcinogenic substances are believed to have reached levels 33
to 153 times higher than what federal regulators consider safe. These toxic chemicals came from several
potential sources, including industrial solvents used at the base.
While it has been known for years that the water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated, the release of this report renews serious health concerns for the more than 1 million people that lived and worked on the base from 1953 to 1985.
Richard Clapp, an epidemiologist
who peer-reviewed the study, said that the findings are dramatic and that Camp
Lejeune is the most highly contaminated drinking water in the U.S. that he is
aware of. Residents of the base have
reported a wide range of types of cancers, including more than 80 instances of
men diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer.
The Marine Corps has not yet commented on the
results of this study. Former residents
are hopeful that the government will conduct a cancer incidence study to
determine if the contaminated water has caused abnormally high cancer
rates. Unfortunately, without
legislation, a study is unlikely to occur.
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If you are a veteran with
questions about obtaining government benefits, contact Legal Help for Veterans,
a practice group of Fausone Bohn, LLP, in Northville, Michigan at 800-693-4800
or online at www.legalhelpforveterans.com.
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