Camp Lejeune Free Claim Review

What are the symptoms of Camp Lejeune water contamination?
Spread over an area of 246 square miles, Camp Lejeune was and continues to be one of the largest and busiest US Marine Corps base camps in the country. Since its inception in 1941, the base has served as a major training facility and one of the primary centers for amphibious assault training.
Like many other military bases of the time, environmental lapses were commonplace in Camp Lejeune. In fact, by 1970, EPA termed Lejeune to be one of the big polluters in the area. But despite this, the lapses continued unabated. This, eventually, resulted in what the media and scientists rightly dubbed as the most catastrophic contaminated drinking water case in the country.
Three decades of being poisoned at home!
For 34 years between 1953 and 1987, nearly a million military personnel and their families as well as civilian contractors who were living and working at the base drank, cooked in, and bathed in Camp Lejeune's water laced with toxic chemicals.
During this period, the level of toxic contamination in the water at Camp Lejeune was 240 to 3400 times the current safety threshold. This led to thousands of people suffering from serious illnesses, including cancer, while still at the camp and even years after they had left the base.
The contamination was discovered by chance in 1980, but camp officials were continually notified of it for almost two years. However, they turned a blind eye to all the reports and warnings. In fact, given the callous handling of the situation, it isn't surprising that little was done to notify residents of the hazards let alone to resolve the issues.
Camp Lejeune Veterans and their families left to fight their own battles!
The USMC did start notifying former base residents about their exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in 1999. But this effort was directed by a federal study that examined birth defects that resulted from in-utero exposure to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
When the USMC finally started an earnest notification campaign in 2008 to educate former base residents of the issue, it was in response to a congressional requirement.
The following year, Laura Jones, who had lived at Camp Lejeune for 3 years filed a case seeking compensation from the US Federal Government for her non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This was followed by more than 800 tort claims filed by other victims.
Unfortunately, many of these cases were dismissed because they were well past the 10-year statute of limitation.
A glimmer of hope!
The Janey Ensminger Act of 2012 offered some margin of reprieve by providing medical care to the victims. But the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 is the real game changer.
So, if you lived or worked at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 or were born at the base, you need to know about the symptoms of Camp Lejeune water contamination.
Continue reading to learn about the contaminated Camp Lejeune water, the health risks linked to the contamination, how the Camp Lejeune Justice Act can help marines, their families, and civilian victims, and more. But, first the most logical question.
How did the water at Camp Lejeune get so contaminated?
The toxins in the Camp Lejeune water supply were attributed to both on-base and off-base sources. Of the 8 drinking water supply systems that served the sprawling base, the three contaminated water treatment plants were:
The Tarawa Terrace Plant
It provided water to the Knox Trailer Park and Tarawa Terrace Housing. The contamination at this plant was attributed to an off-base dry cleaning service. The business was illegally disposing of its chemical waste, a common dry cleaning solvent known as tetrachloroethylene (PCE) by dumping it into the drains and by burying it outside the building that housed the business.
Once mixed with groundwater, PCE degrades into trichloroethylene (TCE), vinyl chloride, and trans 1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE). Eventually, these chemicals found their way into two wells that served the Tarawa Terrace water treatment plant, which was not equipped to handle the contamination.
The current EPA contamination limit for PCE is 5 parts per billion (ppb). Reports from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) reveal that PCE levels in the water supplied from the Tarawa Terrace Plant significantly exceeded this maximum threshold from 1957 to 1987. In fact, in early 1985, the PCE contamination levels at the Tarawa Terrace Plant stood at an alarming 215 ppb.
The Hadnot Point Plant
The harmful chemicals at this treatment facility were all attributed to on-base sources. The facility served Hospital Point, Paradise Point, Midway Park, and Berkley Manor, as well as most barracks and bachelor's quarters.
Along with PCE, TCE, vinyl chloride, and DCE, benzene also laced the Camp Lejeune's water supply. These contaminants were attributed to industrial spills, leaky underground tanks, and onsite dumping of chemicals and oil into the storm drains.
The concentration levels of all contaminants were well above the EPA threshold between 1953 and 1985. But, the highest level was reached in May 1992 when the TCE concentration was at 1400 ppb.
The Holcomb Boulevard Plant
This was a relatively new addition to the water supply system of the base. Operations at this plant began in 1972 and it was meant to serve some of the areas (Midway park, Watkins Village, Paradise point, and Berkley Manor) that previously received supply from Hadnot Point.
While there were no contamination issues at the Holcomb Boulevard Plant, deficits at this facility during the summer months were made up through supplementation from the Hadnot Point Plant. This meant that the areas mentioned earlier were exposed to the contaminated water from Hadnot Point at least for a few months each year.
What type of contamination was found in the water at Camp Lejeune?

Chemical contaminants

The finished water samples that ATSDR collected in 1982 from the Tarawa Terrace System had TCE contamination of 8 ppb and DCE levels of 12 ppb. The samples collected from Hadnot Point had higher contamination levels with concentrations of 15 ppb for PCE, 1400 ppb for TCE, 407 ppb for DCE, and 3 ppb for vinyl chloride.
The wells that fed the Hadnot Point Plant painted a grimmer picture with vinyl chloride levels at 655 ppb and benzene levels at 720 ppb.
But these were just the main contaminants found in the finished water and the well water samples. In addition to these, more than 70 other contaminants were also found in these samples at various concentrations. These included toluene, lead, mercury, other heavy metals and pesticides.

Radiological and biological contaminants

A Navy document from 1981 also revealed that 160 pounds of soil laced with radioactive waste, more specifically an isotope called strontium 20 (known to cause leukemia and cancer) was buried on base along with carcasses of animals used for testing the effects of exposure to radioactive substances.
The Navy claims that the carcasses, soil, and other materials laced with strontium-90 were initially buried at a remote location but later recovered and stored safely till they were shipped to a disposal site in South Carolina. However, there is no documentary evidence to back this claim.
What are the illnesses and symptoms of Camp Lejeune water contamination?
The ATSDR has deemed 8 conditions to be presumptive illnesses that qualify victims for disability benefits. These conditions and their symptoms are:
  • Adult leukemia: Fever and chills, chronic fatigue, frequent infections, easy bruising, frequent bleeding, including unexplained nose bleeds, lymph node swelling, bone pain, red spots on the skin, unexplained weight loss, and excessive nighttime sweating.
  • Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes: Paleness, fatigue, shortness of breath, easy bruising and bleeding, and weakness.
  • Bladder cancer: Bloody urine, lower back pain, frequent and painful urination.
  • ​Kidney cancer: Unexplained weight loss, bloody urine, fatigue, loss of appetite, pain in the lower back and the sides of the abdomen, and fever.
  • ​Liver cancer: Jaundice, loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, chalky stools, abdominal swelling and pain, vomiting, and general weakness.
  • ​Multiple myeloma: Sternum, rib cage, and spinal bone pain, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, weakness in the legs, brain fog, confusion, and frequent infections.
  • ​Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: Chronic fatigue, night sweats, lymph node swelling, abdominal swelling and pain, persistent cough, trouble breathing, weight loss, and fever.
  • ​Parkinson's disease: Changes in speech and gait, rigid muscles, tremors in the limbs, balance and posture problems, and movement issues.
In addition to these 8 presumptive conditions, medical evidence show that exposure to the Camp Lejeune water contamination is also linked to 9 other serious health problems, which include:
  • Breast cancer
  • ​Female infertility
  • ​Hepatic steatosis
  • ​Lung cancer
  • ​Miscarriage
  • ​Neurobehavioral effects
  • ​Renal toxicity
  • ​Scleroderma
But, this is far from being the complete registry of illnesses that may be attributed to Camp Lejeune water contamination. Scientific and medical evidence show that those who were exposed to these chemicals also run a very high risk of suffering from other conditions such as:
  • Soft Tissue Cancer
  • ​Brain tumor
  • ​Breast cancer
  • Esophageal Cancer
  • ​Colorectal cancer
  • ​Cervical cancer
  • ​Ovarian cancer
  • ​Pancreatic Cancer
  • ​Liver cirrhosis
  • ​Fatty liver disease
  • ​Prostate Cancer
  • ​Chronic renal disease and failure
  • ​Autoimmune disorders
  • ​Lou Gehrig's Disease or ALS
  • ​Low Birth Weight
  • ​Congenital conditions
  • ​Vision problems and eye defects
  • ​Neurobehavioral effects such as anxiety, tension, confusion, depression, and stress
  • ​Neurological and cognitive deficits such as memory issues, delayed reaction time, attention disorders, problems with vision and perception
  • ​Neural Tube Defects
  • ​Congenital oral cleft defects
  • ​Generalized skin hypersensitivity
The biggest problem is that illnesses like cancer can spread to other parts of the body and once that happens there is no definitive way to ascertain when and where the malignant growth began. Similarly, autoimmune disorders can have a cascading effect, with one ailment leading to another or a new ailment following quickly in the footsteps of an older and seemingly in-control illness.

Moreover, a lot of conditions can go into remission for a while only to raise their ugly heads years down the line. Put all of this together and it is easy to understand why even experts cannot provide clear and unambiguous answers to this problem.
So, how will you know if you have experienced the adverse effects of water toxicity at Camp Lejeune?
In a 2014 report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged that exposure to the contaminants found in the water at Camp Lejeune caused increased risk of acquiring multiple illnesses, such as:
  • Liver cancer (42% higher risk)
  • Kidney cancer (35% higher risk)
  • ​Multiple myeloma (68% higher risk)
  • ​Hodgkin lymphoma (47% higher risk)
But, the agency did not clarify that the contaminants actually caused these ailments. The problem is that despite significant efforts invested into creating water models, large-scale surveys, and animal and human tests, there is simply no way to predict with certainty how and when the effects of exposure to contamination at levels found in Camp Lejeune water will manifest in individuals.

Everything from individual biology, to prevailing health issues, and from period and mode of exposure to the extent of contamination ultimately play a role in how far-reaching and grave the health ramifications will be.
To add to the problem, a lot of the initial symptoms of exposure are common for a range of health conditions. In fact, this is what led many people who were serving and working at the base to blame their health problems on the stress and anxiety that their jobs brought along.

If you served or lived in Camp Lejeune for a period of at least 30 days (cumulative), even the Navy suggests that your exposure to the contaminants in the water at Camp Lejeune may have caused one or more of the conditions listed above.

That said, you may remember some of the initial symptoms that you may have dismissed at the time. Check to see if those problems figure in this list of the initial symptoms of exposure to Camp Lejeune water contaminants.

  • Frequent headaches
  • Fatigue
  • ​Memory problems
  • ​Delayed reaction times
  • ​Gastrointestinal distress
  • ​Frequent and unexplained drowsiness
  • ​Sleep disturbances
  • ​Insomnia
  • ​Frequent vertigo, vomiting and nausea
  • ​Skin irritation, rashes and inflammation
  • ​Irritation of the mucus membrane
  • ​Confusion
  • ​Lack of concentration
  • ​Irritability
  • ​Eye irritation
  • ​Numbness and tingling in the extremities
  • ​Loss of libido
  • ​Trouble conceiving
  • ​Irregular menstrual cycle
  • ​Excessive bleeding
While you may not have made much of these symptoms back then, they may have been a result of your exposure to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune.

This would also indicate that any subsequent illnesses may have a connection to this exposure. At the least, it is worth seeking expert opinion to determine if there is indeed a link.

Another thing that needs to be mentioned here is that the health effects of Camp Lejeune water contamination may not have gone away simply because you moved away from the camp after 30 days or more.

While remediation efforts to clean up the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune have been successful, this does not automatically annul the health effects linked to the contamination in the past.
It simply means that if you did not spend any time at Camp Lejeune during the period of contamination but are now stationed at the base, you are unlikely to suffer from related conditions as a result of past water contamination issues.

What can you do to reduce the severity of the symptoms of water contamination?
As you can tell from the seriousness of the illnesses listed above, if you are experiencing symptoms of Camp Lejeune water contamination, seeking immediate medical assistance will be the best course of action.
Having said that, not all types of water contamination are so dangerous. In fact, given the stringent EPA regulations pertaining to the quality of drinking water, it's impossible to come across this degree of contamination at this time.
However, instances of biological contamination that are caused by bacteria and parasites are not unheard of. As you may have guessed, these will usually cause minor skin issues and gastric problems.
Typically, the symptoms will include watery diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps, skin rash, hives, and skin itching. As long as the symptoms are not too severe, simple home remedies like drinking plenty of fluids and getting some rest should be enough to get you back in the pink of health.
For rash, aloe vera gel or an OTC corticosteroid ointment should do. Similarly, for stomach cramps and bloating Pepto-Bismol will work like a charm. However, if the symptoms persist for more than 24 hours, it is best to seek medical help.

But, the symptoms of Camp Lejeune water contamination are hardly as minor and inconsequential!
When a family member or you suffer from a serious ailment, its effects go beyond just the physical. The discomfort, the grief, and above all the feeling of helplessness can have a devastating impact on the mental health of the patient and all those around him or her.
Depression, fear, anxiety, and the all-consuming feeling of not being in control can feel crushing and influence your ability to behave and react rationally.
This is the time when a support system is absolutely vital. So, do not shun the company of your friends and family. In fact, make it a point to keep communication lines open because often a heart-to-heart is all that you need to steer you in the right direction and make you see things clearly.
If for any reason, you are unwilling to talk to friends and family, there are online and offline counseling groups that can help. The most important thing is for you to not put on a brave front when doing so won't be in your best interest.
That you managed to survive this already proves that you are brave, now it is time to heal and a bit of help can go a long way in helping you achieve that goal.
How can the Camp Lejeune Justice Act help you?
President Biden put the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (incorporated in the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act) into effect on August 10, 2022. It allows veterans, service members, their families, and civilian contractors who served or worked for 30 days or more (between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987) at Camp Lejeune and/or MCAS New River to seek compensation for the illnesses they have suffered or are suffering from due to their exposure to the contaminated water at the base.

The federal law supersedes the North Carolina Statute of Repose which puts a time restriction of 10 years for filing tort claims from the date of the incident. Moreover, the PACT and Camp Lejeune Justice Acts stop the federal government from using immunity as a defense against any claims brought under the new act.

This includes all claims filed by and on behalf of past and present cancer patients who attribute their illness to the water contamination at the base, including all Camp Lejeune liver cancer lawsuits.

However, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina is the only presiding judicial entity for such matters. Also, a lawsuit can only be brought once a precedent condition is fulfilled.
The lawsuit can be brought by the victim or his/her family members but to have proper standing to file the lawsuit, you will need to first file a claim with the Department of Navy's Tort Claim Unit (Judge Advocate General's Office in Norfolk, Virginia).
You can file a claim for disability benefits or disability compensation. However, the lawsuit can only be brought if your claim is denied or if the amount offered seems unreasonable to you. The navy gets six months to accept or reject your administrative claim for compensation or benefits.
Where else can you find information pertaining to the symptoms of Camp Lejeune water contamination?
CDC information on Camp Lejeune: You can get the history and overview of Camp Lejeune water contamination, information on the health effects it caused, details on water modeling, and comprehensive data on the contaminants found in the water on the CDC website.

The 70 other contaminants: If you are looking for a complete list of all the chemicals found in the finished and well water samples taken from Camp Lejeune, it's available here. You can correlate this with the ATSDR list of water contaminants to get details on the toxic effects of the listed chemicals.

Old and recent studies about the health effects of Camp Lejeune water contamination: Findings of studies conducted to understand the impact of Camp Lejeune's contaminated water can be found here.

Some losses can never be recouped but with the Camp Lejeune Justice Act you have the chance to heal!
  • Cancer, heart ailments, debilitating illnesses!
  • ​The inability to have a child, and the grief of losing a loved one!
  • ​Witnessing the pain of a loved one suffering from a terminal ailment!
  • ​The experience of an illness ravaging your body and taking away your capacity to live your life as you once did!
All of these can have an indelible impact on the very fabric of your being. What adds to the anguish is the knowledge that you have been wronged but there is no way for you to seek justice. And that's exactly what the victims who suffered the symptoms of Camp Lejeune water contamination faced for decades.
But, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act can change all that. True, no amount of compensation can bring back a loved one or time lost. But, if you act now, you can get solace in justice and seek the restitution that you and your family need to heal.
However, all of that starts with you ascertaining the impact that the contaminated Camp Lejeune water had on your family and you.
There are attorneys available who can help you to evaluate your Camp Lejeune claim and meet the precedent condition. If the the military has denied your claim, the Camp Lejeune lawyers will explain your legal options to you and help you to get through the intricacies and complexities of tort claims.
While the Camp Lejeune Justice Act has undoubtedly opened up a window of opportunity for all individuals who have suffered the health consequences of water contamination at the base, don't expect this window to be open indefinitely. In fact, the safest and wisest thing to do would be to act NOW!

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