Intro to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act

The federal government recently acted to enable many surviving victims of chemically tainted water at the U.S. Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to file legal actions for compensation. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is a sweeping piece of federal legislation that makes it possible for victims of tainted freshwater supplies at the military base to obtain compensation for harm caused to them. 

Millions of service members and civilian workers were exposed to toxic chemicals in the freshwater supply from about 1953 until 1987. Family members who lived with military personnel on the base also were exposed to potentially hazardous levels of toxic chemicals in the freshwater. 

North Carolina’s 10-year statute of repose expired long before many people learned they had been exposed to toxic chemicals. The expiration of the state’s statute of repose made it impossible for anyone to hold the federal government accountable for illnesses and other harms caused by the toxic Camp Lejeune waters. 

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Sources and Timeframe

Camp Lejeune opened in 1942 to help the U.S. Marine Corps train for the amphibious warfare required in the Pacific theater and other military operations. Underground storage tanks contained fuel and degreasing solvents. At least some of the tanks leaked their contents, which made their way into the water supply and caused TCE chemical contamination. 

Another identified source of contamination is a former off-base one-hour cleaner that opened in 1954. The dry-cleaning business disposed of contaminated waste, which accumulated in its septic tank. Four years after the dry-cleaner opened, the military dug a water well near the cleaner’s septic tank. PCE-laden chemicals in the cleaner’s septic system leached into the water supply.

Benzene also contaminated the camp’s water supply when underground fuel tanks leaked. The combination of toxic chemicals in the camp water supply also created a vinyl chloride byproduct. 

Service members, their families, and civilians who worked or lived on the base between 1953 and 1987 might have suffered from the ill effects of drinking and bathing in tainted freshwater at the base. 

Medical Consequences of Toxic Camp Lejeune Water

Millions of service members, their families, and civilian workers suffered from very serious medical conditions, including several types of cancer. The following dozen cancers, illnesses, and medical conditions are among the dozens identified as caused by toxic Camp Lejeune waters:

Bladder Cancer	Breast Cancer	Esophageal Cancer
Hepatic Steatosis	Kidney Cancer	Leukemia
Miscarriage	Multiple Myeloma	Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma	Lung Cancer	Female Infertility

Those cancers, illnesses, and medical conditions are potentially deadly and resulted in the “baby heaven” section in a nearby cemetery. Those graves are filled with deceased children who succumbed to the many diseases created by the then-toxic Camp Lejeune water supply.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act says anyone who spent at least 30 days at the camp and suffers from identified illnesses and medical conditions can seek remedies from the federal government for up to two years. The 30 days do not have to be consecutive.

If you file a claim and the federal government denies it, you have up to 180 days from the date of the denial to challenge it in the federal court’s Eastern District in North Carolina. If you have obtained medical care from the VA or other federal sources, any compensation that you might receive could be offset by the amount of care and compensation that you already obtained. 

You can contact us to learn more and obtain legal help to determine whether or not you qualify for additional compensation.