Anyone working or living at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987 who has since been diagnosed with a medical condition linked to these volatile organic compounds may now be eligible to receive financial compensation through the legal system.
In 1942, when the Marine Corps established the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, few could have predicted the base would be the subject of one of the largest environmental disasters in this country’s history.
However, nearly 1 million veterans and their families who lived and worked on base between mid-1953 and 1987 were exposed to contaminated drinking water, which was tainted with hazardous organic compounds.
In 1982, testing of the base’s wells discovered the presence of many volatile organic compounds in the water supply system serving three of the base’s primary housing complexes: Tarawa Terrace; Hadnot Point; and Holcomb Boulevard. The compounds most prevalent were:
All of these compounds are dangerous carcinogens and have been linked to many medical conditions, diseases and cancers. Exposure to some of these compounds while pregnant can result in birth defects and diseases caused by exposure in utero.
Many of these veterans and their families have been diagnosed with serious medical conditions as a result of drinking this contaminated water, including cancer, leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Although the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has allowed veterans to file for VA Disability Compensation for eight presumptive conditions and provided free medical care to their families affected by 15 medical conditions, only recently have the victims of this tragedy been able to receive compensation through the legal system.
The newly enacted PACT Act, signed into law in August 2022, contains a part called the “Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022.” This new Act allows any individual working or living on base for at least 30 days between August 1,1953 and December 31, 1987 to file a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina for any disease or condition resulting from drinking the contaminated water on base. This includes veterans, their family members, and civilian personnel working on base.
Only now, decades after the contaminated water was identified and resolved, are victims of Camp Lejeune finally receiving justice.
Read our Frequently Asked Questions section to learn more about the toxic water contamination at Camp Lejeune and how you are entitled to benefits and compensation through the legal system.
Camp Lejeune Veterans, Reservists, Guardsmen and their family members are eligible for disability and healthcare benefits for 15 health conditions listed in the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012. Veterans can also receive disability and healthcare benefits for eight presumptive health conditions linked to water contaminants at Camp Lejeune.
The conditions of the water at Camp Lejeune have caused many diseases for countless Veterans and their families. Almost 1 million veterans and their families were exposed to the hazardous chemicals contaminating the base’s water supply. If you worked or lived at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987, you may have been exposed to toxic water and may be entitled to legal compensation.
Main water treatment plants at Camp Lejeune were contaminated with many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for over two decades. The contaminated water systems supplied water to primary housing complexes, such as Tarawa Terrace, Hadnot Point and Holcomb Boulevard and likely caused severe illnesses for veterans and their families.