The Primary Contaminants in the Drinking Water of Camp Lejeune

August 30, 2023 by

Individuals who became ill after spending time at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina were likely exposed to a series of volatile organic chemicals (VOC) that unknowingly leaked into the base’s water supply. These were chemicals used for dry cleaning, cleaning weapons and machinery, and a component in fuels.

Primary Contaminants in the Drinking Water of Camp Lejeune

Despite regular water treatment, these chemicals were still in the water supplied to base housing. Marines, their families, and civilian workers who spent 30 days or more at the base may have been made seriously ill by these chemicals.

VOC Contaminants

Of all the toxic chemicals found in the Camp Lejeune water system, these were found in the largest amounts:

• Benzene and toluene, chemicals found in gasoline and other types of fuel
• Methylene chloride, a chemical solvent used in laboratories and in the removal of paint
• Trichloroethylene (TCE), primarily used as a metal cleaner, used for tasks such as cleaning weapons, engine parts, and machinery
• Tetrachloroethylene (also known as PCE, perc, or perchloroethylene), primarily used for dry cleaning
• Vinyl chloride, 1,2-dichloroethylene, and 1,1-dichloroethylene, breakdown products of TCE and PCE

All the chemicals are known human carcinogens. No one knows how much of these chemicals were regularly dispersed in the drinking water or for exactly how long. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), as part of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), has an entire section on its website dedicated to Camp Lejeune’s water contamination, complete with reports and other information.

Illness

Over the years, people who have spent time at Camp Lejeune during the affected period have experienced a wide range of serious health problems that include:

• Cancers of various types
• Birth defects
• Miscarriage and fetal deaths from exposure during pregnancy (in utero)
• Cardiac defects
• Liver cirrhosis
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Autoimmune diseases, including Scleroderma
• Kidney problems, including end-stage renal disease
• Neurological effects
• Neurobehavioral effects

At the time, no one attributed the illnesses to the drinking water until the discovery of the contamination. While there is a list of known side effects—the VA calls these “presumptive conditions” for service members—many other illnesses may have been caused by the chemical exposure but are not yet recognized.

Discovery

The chemicals went undetected until the early 1980s, but the Marine Corps didn’t close all the contaminated facilities until late 1987. Notification began in 1984 with an article run in the base’s newspaper and a press conference in 1985. The base also has a notification database on its website for former residents.

The ATSDR’s position is that the ingestion of these VOCs was a strong contributor to the adverse health effects experienced by Marines, their families, and civilians working at Camp Lejeune during the affected time frame. The complete report is available online, with additional reports throughout the site.

Camp Lejeune Claim? Contact The Herren Law Firm Today

Until recently, only veterans could request help through the VA for their medical conditions. After the signing of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, family members and civilian workers can now file a claim for compensation due to the harm they suffered from the contaminated water.

If you or someone you know became ill after working or being stationed at Camp Lejeune, contact us immediately for help filing your claim. There is a short time period in which you can file a claim. Act now.

We’ve helped over 4,000 people, and we can help you as well. Contact us today by calling (713) 682-8194 or using our online contact form our consultation is free, and you won’t owe us a fee until we win your case.

Filed Under: Camp Lejeune Justice Act Tagged With: , ,

The History Of Camp Lejeune Marred By Toxic Discovery

August 21, 2023 by

The history of Camp Lejeune is one that most people would not know unless you were either stationed there while in the military, lived in North Carolina, or were a history buff.  Camp Lejeune is one of the US Marines’ premier bases. It has in recent years gain national notoriety due the discovery of its toxic water supply.

water contamination

Located on New River, south of Jacksonville, Camp Lejeune was established during WWII for both land and amphibious training. In between the coastal ports of both Morehead City and Wilmington, the area was ideal for the Marines’ needs.

The base was named in 1944 for Major General John A. Lejeune, Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1920 to 1929, who was a firm believer in the need for amphibious assault training. Camp Lejeune has been instrumental in Marine readiness since its inception during WWII, including the Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and the War On Terror, with Marines regularly deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, the base is home to Headquarters & Support Battalion and Weapons Training Battalion, and the TECOM Training Support Center, and 17 other units.

Expansion

Following WWII, Camp Lejeune expanded exponentially beyond the training to give the Marines and their families everything they needed, including:

• Beaches
• Boating and Swimming
• Childcare
• Commissary and Marine Corps Exchange for shopping
• Dining
• Education,
• Family Support
• Financial services from credit unions and banks
• Fitness Centers
• Hunting And Fishing
• Library
• Theaters

More people meant more building and expansion and is now over 153,000 acres, including 14 miles of beach on the Atlantic Ocean. The base is now the largest on the eastern seaboard and includes other campus locations, including MCAS New River, Stone Bay, Courthouse Bay, Camp Geiger, Camp Johnson, and the Greater Sandy Run Training Area.

Water Contamination

The base expansion brought problems that plagued residents for over 30 years.

In 1953, a nearby off-base dry cleaner used PCE (perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene) and allowed the chemical to go into storm drains. This contaminated the water supply in the Tarawa Terrace treatment plant that supplied drinking water to some of the family housing facilities. Upon discovery in the early 1980s, levels of PCE were found to far exceed the current EPA maximum contaminant level of 5 ppb. The Tarawa Terrace water was contaminated from November 1957-February 1987. Wells with the highest contamination was closed in February 1985.

Concurrently, the Hadnot Point water treatment plant was contaminated primarily by TCE, or trichloroethylene. The water also contained PCE and benzene and TCE degradation products trans-1,2-DCE (t-1,2-dichloroethylene) and vinyl chloride. Contamination of these water tanks was found to be from more industrial sources: waste disposal sites, spills, and underground storage tanks that leaked. All the contaminated wells were closed by 1987.

After millions of Marines, their families, and civilian workers became seriously ill after their time at Camp Lejeune, they are now able to request compensation for their illnesses and losses and those of their family members.

Camp Lejeune Claim? Contact The Herren Law Firm Today

Until recently, only veterans could request help through the VA for their medical conditions. After the signing of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, family members and civilian workers can now file a claim for compensation due to the harm they suffered from the contaminated water.

If you or someone you know became ill after working or being stationed at Camp Lejeune, contact us immediately for help filing your claim.

We’ve helped over 4,000 people, and we can help you as well. Contact us today by calling (713) 682-8194 or using our online contact form our consultation is free, and you won’t owe us a fee until we win your case.

Filed Under: Camp Lejeune Justice Act Tagged With: , ,

Camp Lejeune Advocates Say A “Rocket Docket” Needed For Claims

July 31, 2023 by

Camp Lejeune advocates, including lawyers for some of the plaintiffs and some victims, following the initial hearing for a Camp Lejeune case, spoke with Raleigh TV station WRAL outside the courthouse.  The hearing was a general discussion of the process and instructions from the judge on getting the claims resolved with or without litigation. The judge had met with some of the plaintiffs’ lawyers, which is typical in federal cases.

Judge Devers indicated that both the US Navy and the plaintiffs’ attorneys should begin working together to devise a system for settling claims faster. The Navy does not yet have a process for settling the claims without litigation and has stalled on settling the claims.

One of the attorneys stated that using data, databases, and systems could allow the Navy to be able to classify each case and address specific types of cases directly. Once the cases are organized, they could begin the process of making “meaningful and acceptable settlement offers” instead of making each plaintiff take a lawsuit through the court system. The concern is that more of the affected plaintiffs will die before they are able to receive a settlement for years of illness and suffering.

Judge Devers did not give a time frame but made it clear that there would be instructions that included one. He stated that trying just one case per day can take a very long time, likening it to the Roman Empire, which lasted 1900 years. One attorney referred to a “rocket docket” to get the process moving. Camp Lejeune advocates from all over are speaking out and concurring with the need to have a rocket docket meaning a fast and easy process to compensate victims.

More Inquiries

This past May, NC Senators Ted Budd and Thom Till wrote a letter with bipartisan support to the Secretary of the Navy and to the US Attorney General asking why these cases were taking so long. (The letter is available on Senator Budd’s website.) Camp Lejeune advocates from all over are speaking out about the need to have a rocket docket meaning a fast and easy legal process to mov e these cases through and compensate victims.

The letter follows complaints from constituents who have contacted their offices asking questions about settling claims and lawsuits. No response has been reported.

Camp Lejeune Claim? Contact The Herren Law Firm Today

If you served at or worked at Camp Lejeune and are now suffering or have suffered a chronic illness, you may have a claim under this act. There are a number of illnesses associated with the contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune.

For more than 30 years, the Herren Law firm has helped veterans and other disabled people with their benefits claims and appeals. We have extensive experience dealing with governmental agencies and the claims that are filed with them. We have turned our focus on preparing and filing Camp Lejeune claims before the current deadline.

There is a deadline of two years to file a claim so do not wait to find out if you may have a claim. The deadline for filing a lawsuit is within two years from when the Act was approved in August of 2022, so it’s vital to start your claim immediately.  As Camp Lejeune advocates, we are prepared to help you file a claim.

Contact us today by calling (713) 682-8194 or using our online contact form our consultation is free, and you won’t owe us a fee until we win your case.

Filed Under: Camp Lejeune Justice Act Tagged With: , ,

Camp LeJeune Process Needs Overhaul

June 18, 2023 by

Since the first claim was filed under the Camp Lejeune water contamination act in 2022, no one has reached a settlement or taken their case to court. Claimants, US Navy attorneys, and attorneys for claimants are seeing that the Camp Lejeune process needs an overhaul.

Because of the unusual nature of this type of claim, any lawsuits must be filed in North Carolina’s Eastern US District Courts. A lawyer, like Houston’s William Herren, who is handling and filing claims for qualified claimants, can help file a Camp Lejeune claim.

Problems with the Claims Process

After the signing of the PACT Act, more than 60,000 claims have already been filed. It’s expected that an estimated 500,000 to 1 million cases could be filed, so there are many calling for a better process, including one of the judges from the North Carolina Eastern US District Courts. There is already a volume of claims that appear to be overwhelming the system in place. So far, the US Navy has offer limited solutions to make the process easier for the government, the claimants, their legal counsel, and the courts.

The Current Process

When someone files a Camp Lejeune claim using Form 95, it is submitted to the court for determination. Once the claim is filed, the government has 180 days to accept or deny the claim. Lawyers for the US Navy are handling these claims.

Should the government deny the claim, then the claim must be decided in a court of law. This is where things will quickly become complicated. The concern is that with only four judges, these cases will continue to create a backlog of cases. A backlog could have claimants, also known as plaintiffs, waiting years for their suits to be decided. Someone with a terminal illness may never see a judgment for their case or families who have already lost a parent or spouse due to water contamination may not see compensation for years.

The Judge’s Request

Judge James Dever, one of just four in the Eastern District of North Carolina, has requested that the plaintiffs’ lawyers and the Navy’s lawyers collaborate to improve and streamline the claims process to avoid the potential bottleneck for these cases. The judge suggested that the involved attorneys on both sides:

1. Create a database of all affected victims
2. Include the extent of their injuries and causations
3. How long each victim lived on or worked at Camp Lejeune
4. Combine similar cases
5. Set up a structure for settlements

The judge specifically requested that the attorneys work together to focus on the affected victims and their family members, which includes a high number of children who were either miscarried, stillborn, or died later from the effects of the contamination. Following the first hearing in April, Judge Dever gave attorneys a month to create a leadership team to devise the new process.

May 26, 2023 – Navy Blames Staffing and Budget

In an email to claimants’ lawyers, a Navy attorney, Jennifer Tennile Karnes admitted that the Navy lacks the necessary financial resources and staff to promptly review compensation claims from veterans affected by toxic water at Camp Lejeune. She mentioned that the tort claims unit is working excessive overtime to handle the claims and expressed hope to double the staff by the end of summer. However, the Navy has yet to establish the promised online portal for expediting claims, and Congress has not allocated the additional funds needed to manage the compensation program. She described the Camp Lejeune claims process with a great metaphor: “building a plane mid-air.”

Contact The Herren Law Firm For Your Camp Lejeune Claim

Regardless of these difficulties with the Camp Lejeune process, it still is worth making a claim before the deadline. Missing the deadline will eliminate you from even being considered for compensation.  You must file your claim filed by August 10, 2024, so timing is critical. Please contact our offices immediately to learn more.

For more than 30 years, the Herren law firm has helped veterans and other disabled people with their benefits claims and appeals. We have extensive experience dealing with governmental agencies and the claims that are filed with them. We are focused on successfully getting claimants their settlements. If you or someone you know became ill after being stationed at Camp Lejeune, get in touch with us immediately.

We’ve helped over 4,000 people with disability and veteran claims and appeals, and we look forward to helping you. Contact us today by calling (713) 682-8194 or using our online contact form our consultation is free.  We work on a contingency basis so you won’t owe us a fee until we settle your case.

Filed Under: Camp Lejeune Justice Act, Long Term Disability Tagged With: , , ,
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