EPA Finally Admits that Chemical in Camp Lejeune Water Caused Cancer

Friday, October 14, 2011
A chlorinated solvent used for three decades at a U.S. Marine Corps base has been deemed a carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), confirming the suspicions of those who contracted rare illnesses after living on the base.
 
Trichloroethylene (TCE), used primarily as a degreaser for metal, was utilized at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina from the 1950s to the 1980s. The EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System announced in late September that exposure to TCE might lead to kidney and liver cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It may also cause bladder, esophageal, prostate, cervical, and breast cancers, as well as leukemia.
 
About 750,000 people were exposed to TCE at Camp Lejeune. Of these, more than 70 men developed an extremely rare form of male breast cancer. For about three decades the water supply at Lejeune was contaminated with chemicals from an off-base dry-cleaning company and industrial solvents used to clean military equipment.
 
Senator Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) has introduced legislation in Congress (the Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2011), which would provide hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for veterans and family members who became ill as a result of the TCE contamination.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 
Dozens React to EPA News on TCE (by Hope Hodge, Jacksonville Daily News)

20 From Camp Lejeune Marine Base Developed Male Breast Cancer, Blame Toxic Water (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov) 

Comments

TOM KUBISHIN 11 years ago
Nobody in my family ever had esophageal cancer and my luck I am diagnosed with it at stage 3.I am already over the 100% disability but I'm afraid I will die of this cancer before I have 10 years rated 100% disabled which means my wife would not get the $1100 a month payment from the VA.I filed a claim when I found out it could be related to the camp lejuene water and it's confusing.One statement I found is that it is presumptive and it would be treated like Agent Orange then I read another article that says you will need a doctors statement indicating that the chemicals from Lejuene is more likely to be the culprit for the cancer than any other cause. I also had a heart attack at 51 years old and that was a no question no hoops to jump claim and went right through.Again my family has had no heart problems and that includes all brothers and sisters of mom and my dad. I just had to get a little out of my mind about the water and how many people have already died or still don't even know about it.I was put on the AO and the Lejuene registry for any updates and never got one message/email/postal mail about the diseases that were added or that Obama signed the Lejuene problems in the middle of 2012. Let your comrades know about these things that we were never told about. semper fi tom
Peg 12 years ago
The Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2011 that your article states was introduced by Sen. Richard Burr, was signed into law by President Obama on August 6, 2012.

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