If you drank contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, you could seek justice for any conditions or illnesses you developed by filing a lawsuit. In fact, thousands of marines and their family members who have been hurt by the toxic and contaminated drinking water at the base in North Carolina may be eligible to file claims and get recovery for their suffering and losses.<\/p>\n
The marine discovered that the drinking water at the base was contaminated in the 1980s when they found volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 2 of the 8 water treatment plants at the base. Reports from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) show that the VOCs included chemicals that cause cancer. The VOCs (PCE, benzene, TCE, and Vinyl Chloride) are odorless and colorless, making it impossible to detect them by sight or taste alone. Based on the timeframe, authorities have reported that about 9000,000 people, including marines, their spouses, and their children, may have drunk or used the contaminated water at the base.<\/p>\n
Many people have suffered or are suffering from illnesses, disorders, and injuries that have been scientifically linked to the toxic liquid, which was at the base for about 34 years, from 1953 to 1987.Exposure to VOCs has been linked to cancers like breast cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma.In addition, other injuries were caused by exposure to the toxic liquid, and they include cardiac defect, infertility, aplastic anemia, miscarriage, renal toxicity, fatty liver disease, and brain injuries.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, babies were not spared from the dangerous effects of being exposed to toxic substances. For instance, some of the babies who were exposed to toxic substances in utero have experienced birth injuries and defects. In addition, babies who are birthed by women who drank the toxic liquid at the base are about 4 times more likely to develop spina bifida, compared to babies who were not exposed to the toxic substances in the water. Other birth injuries and defects include low birth weight, fetal death, cardiac defects, cleft palate and lips, and an increased risk of developing adult cancers.<\/p>\n