Were You Exposed to Contaminated Water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina?

You may be entitled to a financial settlement.

Between 1953 and 1987, over a million individuals who visited Camp Lejeune in North Carolina may have been exposed to harmful compounds in the water. If you, a family member, or a loved one resided at Camp Lejeune and experienced health problems as a result of contaminated water, you could be qualified to bring a lawsuit forward against the United States government.

To explore your legal options and understand how filing a Camp Lejeune water contamination claim might benefit you or your family, contact us today.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuits

Individuals present at Camp Lejeune from the 1950s to the 1980s were exposed to chemicals in the drinking water that caused serious illnesses and diseases. These toxic chemicals were present in both residential areas and training facilities. If you were stationed at Camp Lejeune during this period and developed diseases associated with the toxic chemicals in the drinking water, you may be eligible for significant compensation. Congress recently passed The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, which allows victims and their families to file lawsuits. Veterans based at the Marine Corps Base at Camp Lejeune, their family members, workers, and others may have been exposed to water contamination. Nearly a million military veterans stationed at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 may have been exposed to harmful chemicals in the water.

What Caused the Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune?

According to the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, “The contamination of drinking water at Camp Lejeune started in the early 1950s, and the most contaminated wells were shut down in 1985. ATSDR has been assessing the health risks from hazardous substances in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune since the late 1980s. As many as one million military and civilian staff and their families might have been exposed to the contaminated drinking water.”

For decades, service members and their families drank and bathed in water at Camp Lejeune that contained high levels of toxic chemicals, including:

  • Trichloroethylene;
  • Perchloroethylene;
  • Vinyl Chloride, and
  • Benzene.

What Medical Problems are Associated with the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination?

Volatile organic compounds are highly cytotoxic and cause damage to victims’ chromosomes and bone marrow cells. This damage in turn causes rare diseases and cancers in victims. The VA recognizes and may reimburse service members and their families for paid health care expenses related to these 15 conditions, including:

  • Bladder cancer;
  • Breast cancer;
  • Esophageal cancer;
  • Female infertility;
  • Hepatic steatosis;
  • Kidney cancer;
  • Leukemia;
  • Lung cancer;
  • Miscarriage;
  • Multiple myeloma;
  • Myelodysplastic;
  • Neurobehavioral effects;
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma;
  • Renal toxicity, and
  • Scleroderma.

Who is Eligible to File a Lawsuit?

Any person who was exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between the dates of August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, is covered by the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022. This legislation provides for more than just military personnel that may have been exposed to these toxic chemicals, including:

  • Partners, spouses, children, and other relatives;
  • Babies in utero;
  • On base personnel and staff;
  • Soldiers and cadets, and
  • The National Guard, reservists, and veterans.

Victims of Camp Lejeune may be entitled to a range of different forms of compensation, including:

  • Refunds for health and medical care expenses;
  • Lost wages and earnings;
  • Pain and suffering, and
  • Wrongful death.

How to file a Claim

You will need to submit your claim in federal court, present medical proof of your injuries, and demonstrate how the need for medical attention is connected to your exposure to the toxic chemicals in the water.

The amount of time you have to bring a lawsuit has been restricted by the federal government. If you had health issues after drinking polluted water at Camp Lejeune, don’t wait any longer to contact an experienced attorney that can help you file a claim against the United States government.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 only gives you a two-year window to get your claim filed, so it’s important to understand your legal options and start a claim before it’s too late.

Time is Limited for Your Claim, so Act Today

If you, a family member, or a loved one resided at Camp Lejeune and experienced health issues as a result of water pollution, you could be qualified to file a Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit.  To find out how filing a Camp Lejeune Water Contamination claim might benefit you or your loved ones, please submit the form below to get started:

Contact Us today

If you have been diagnosed with cancer or another illness – or lost a loved one – due to Camp Lejeune water contamination, you can start building your lawsuit against the federal government today. 

Please complete the form below to get started: