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A Toxic Tale: Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune 1
by Andrea Byron, Jerry Ensminger, Mike Partain & Tom Townsend
Were you or a loved one stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejune in North Carolina between 1957 and 1987? If so, you need to read this.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is currently studying the effects of toxic exposure upon former residents of the base.
Two separate water distribution systems aboard Camp Lejeune were found to be contaminated: the Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point water distribution systems. ATSDR has completed the water modeling for the Tarawa Terrace water distribution system and has determined the system was contaminated from June 1957 until 1 March 1987. The ATSDR water modeling for the Hadnot Point water distribution system is underway but has not been completed. Therefore, the beginning date of the contamination has not been determined for any of those areas that were historically served by the Hadnot Point water distribution system…
Historically, Midway Park, Berkeley Manor, and Paradise Point housing areas received their finished tap water from the Hadnot Point water system prior to 1972. After that date, these areas received their water from the Holcomb Boulevard water distribution system. Hospital Point and Hadnot Point (Main side) to include French creek received their finished water from the Hadnot Point water distribution system up until the contaminated wells were taken offline, contaminated water for these areas ceased in February of 1985. However, beginning 27 January 1985 through 4 February 1985 , the Holcomb Boulevard water treatment plant was taken offline due to a generator fuel spill in the water system. Water was rerouted from the Hadnot Point water distribution system in order to supply water to Midway Park, Berkeley Manor, Paradise Point and Watkins Village. The water furnished to these areas during the 9 day period was highly contaminated with VOCs.
The water provided by the Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point distribution systems was highly contaminated with various chemicals, including the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) known as PCE (Tetrachloroethylene aka Perchloroethylene), TCE (Trichloroethylene), DCE (Dichloroethylene), Vinyl Chloride and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene). These chemicals are either known or suspected human carcinogens. Many Marines, Sailors, their families and loyal civilian employees have been affected by the contamination in various ways including, but not limited to: liver cancer, kidney cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, leukemia, non Hodgkins lymphoma, liver disease, miscarriages, birth defects (cleft palate, heart defects, Choanal atresia, neural tube defects, low birth weight, and small for gestational age), etc. Unfortunately, many of these families still have not been notified by the USMC of the danger from their exposure. In 1987 Camp Lejeune was listed as a Superfund site on the National Priorities List (NPL) by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Please visit the website of The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten at www.tftptf.com for more information.
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Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=2873
Posted by Veterans Today on Feb 22 2008, With 0 Reads, Filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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I was born in Camp Lejeune, NC, in 1971. After seeing a news special on the television, my mother had called and given them our information. Saying we lived in the area affected by the contamination, at first they couldn’t find a record of us, when they did, they had said they were going to mail out a packet of information for us. We have never recieved the packet and expect to run into more than our share of red tape trying to get one. I have had cronic nose bleeds as a child…which ended up causing me to have 14 cauterizations and 3 surgeries on my nose. I’ve had pre-cancer of my cervix and am worried about breast cancer which is already in my family. I was only there about 2 years from infancy on, but was raised on formula made with the water and of course Kool-aid, which was also made with the water.
I also worry about what can be carried over into my children. My daughter has experienced seizures and no one in my or my husbands family had EVER suffered from this ailment.
My question is, now that my mother and I don’t speak, how do I go about getting the information I need?
I was station once at Camp lejeune and twice at El Toro both EPA Super fund areas due to contamination. After the 1st tow exposures I had a daughter born with no knee caps and I have now developed skin spots and growths that the VA doctors just tell me are natural aging of the skin not to worry about. Due to the government’s cover up & denial history I do not feel comfortable just accepting that statement especially considering that no parent / grand parent who lifed over 90 on my side of family ever developed the type of spots or growths I have developed. I could go on but this should be enough to give picture of situation. The VA says I am not entitled to any disability althou the steel bolts in my feet do hurt and I have some other problems and charge me for care. NOw I thought I saw an article someplace that stated that the VA was required to treat any of the exposed personnel from camp lejeune free of charge.
1 = can any one tell me if that is the case and where I may get copy of aticle??
2 = Any one know of a lawyer in the Chicago IL area that deals with these matters who would be willing to evaluate my case and would set up fee based on winning case??
Contact me directly at airtsua1950@yahoo.com
Here are some links that may help you.
Military Superfund list [veteransinfo.org]
(MCAS) El Toro [www.mwsg37.com]
Law Firm Pursuing El Toro Injuries and Deaths [www.salem-news.com]
Thank you for publishing this. My family is watching for these articles and hoping that soon others will. We hope the “powers that be” are watching as well. Only through articles like this, will we find justice.