The Camp Lejeune water contamination problem happened at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, between 1953 and 1987. During this time, U.S. Marines, their families, and many international workers, including British personnel, used tap water that was polluted with harmful chemicals. The levels of these chemicals were much higher than safe limits, ranging from 240 to 3,400 times the current safety standards. Many people who lived there later developed serious health issues, such as cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), fatty liver disease, infertility, and Parkinson’s disease. These illnesses may have been caused by the polluted water. Some people who lived there claim that Marine Corps leaders knew about the problem but did not take action or warn residents.

In 2009, the U.S. federal government began looking into the water contamination and the failure of Marine Corps officials to address it. In August 2012, President Obama signed the Janey Ensminger Act, which started providing medical care to people possibly affected by the pollution. In February 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune increased the risk of developing several diseases, though they did not confirm that the water directly caused these illnesses. The PACT Act of 2022, Section 804, is also called the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022. This law offers compensation for injuries caused by the toxic exposure at Camp Lejeune. It is the first law to provide financial support to civilian family members of veterans stationed at the base and to people who worked there.

Contamination

From August 1, 1953, to December 31, 1987, and sometimes from January 1, 1950, to December 31, 1985, Marines and military personnel from any branch of the armed forces, along with their families living at Camp Lejeune’s main base, barracks, family housing, temporary housing, Tarawa Terrace, and Hadnot Point, may have used water that was polluted with harmful chemicals. These chemicals were present at levels up to 3,400 times higher than allowed by safety rules. At least 850 people who lived at the base filed claims for nearly $4 billion against the military. The pollution likely came from two of the eight water wells on the base. The main harmful chemicals included volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like perchloroethylene (PCE), a chemical used in dry cleaning, and trichloroethylene (TCE), a chemical used to clean machinery. Over 70 other chemicals were also found in the water. The base’s wells were turned off in the mid-1980s after testing showed the water met federal standards, but they were later turned back on without following the law. In 2009, a report by the National Research Council reviewed studies about PCE and TCE but did not examine other chemicals like benzene and vinyl chloride. The report said the water was polluted from 1950 to 1985 but did not link the pollution to health problems. However, in 2010, a government official said the water was definitely harmful.

In 1980, the base began testing water for trihalomethanes after new rules from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That same year, a laboratory found halogenated hydrocarbons in the water. In March 1981, a report said the water was heavily polluted with chlorinated hydrocarbons (solvents). Possible sources of the pollution included chemicals from a nearby dry cleaning business, from military units cleaning equipment, and leaks from underground fuel tanks. In 1982, a company called Grainger Laboratories, hired by the U.S. Marine Corps, found trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene (also called perchlorethylene) in the water. Grainger warned officials about the contamination, but some Marine leaders ignored the warnings. In August 1982, a Grainger chemist sent a letter to the base commander, warning that the water was poisoned. Despite these warnings, the polluted water continued to be used.

Grainger repeated its warnings in December 1982, March 1983, and September 1983. In 1983, Lejeune officials told the EPA there were no environmental problems at the base. In June 1983, North Carolina’s water agency asked for Grainger’s test results, but Marine officials refused to share them. In December 1983, Lejeune officials reduced the water testing done by Grainger.

In July 1984, a company hired by the EPA found benzene, PCE, and TCE in the base’s water. At this time, scientists tested individual wells. One well had a dangerously high level of a chemical found in gasoline, which should have led to its immediate closure. Marine officials shut down one contaminated well in November 1984 and the others in early 1985. In December 1984, the Marines informed North Carolina about the contamination but did not mention benzene. They told the media that the EPA had not found unsafe levels of PCE and TCE.

In 1997, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) studied the water and said cancer from the pollution was unlikely. However, a federal investigation later found that the ATSDR had ignored evidence of benzene in the water when preparing the report. In 2009, the ATSDR admitted the water was polluted with benzene and withdrew the 1997 report. Benzene likely came from 800,000 gallons of fuel that leaked from the base’s fuel storage area near the main well at Hadnot Point. For unknown reasons, the Marine Corps did not include benzene in a 1992 report sent to the federal government, even though they knew about it. A contractor named Baker Corp. prepared the 1992 report. State officials had also told the ATSDR about benzene in the water in 1994.

Responses and actions

In 1999, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) began informing former residents of a military base that they might have drunk water that was not safe. These messages were part of a study by the federal government to learn if children born at the base during the time of the contamination had health problems. Before this, many families who were affected by the water believed that illnesses and cancers in their families were due to chance.

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) looked into how the USMC handled the water issue. They found no criminal actions by USMC officials. However, in 2007, one EPA investigator told Congress that he had suggested charges against some Camp Lejeune officials for blocking legal actions, but the Justice Department did not support this.

In 2007, Jerry Ensminger, a retired Marine, found a 1981 document that described a radioactive waste site near a rifle range at Camp Lejeune. The report said the waste contained strontium-90, a type of radioactive material that can cause leukemia and other cancers. Camp Lejeune officials learned about this document in 2004. Ensminger served in the Marine Corps for 24 years and lived at Camp Lejeune for part of that time. In 1985, his 9-year-old daughter, Janey, died of cancer.

An advocacy group called "The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten" was created to help people who may have been harmed by the water contamination at Camp Lejeune. The group’s website explains that people who drank the contaminated water have experienced health problems, such as cancer, miscarriages, and birth defects. Many areas of the base, including Tarawa Terrace, Midway Park, and others, were affected by the pollution.

In 2008, the USMC started a required campaign by Congress to inform former residents about the contamination. An online health registry now has more than 135,000 names of people who were exposed.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) decided that a former Marine’s cancer was caused by drinking contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Paul Buckley, a Marine who served in the 1980s, was diagnosed with a serious type of cancer. In 2010, the VA said his cancer was directly linked to the polluted water and gave him full disability benefits. This was the first time the government admitted responsibility. In 2012, the VA also said that retired Marine Frank Rachowicz’s cancer was caused by the contamination.

In 2009, Laura Jones sued the U.S. government over the water pollution at Camp Lejeune. Jones had lived at the base where her husband, a Marine, was stationed. The Navy tried to dismiss the case, saying the time limit for filing lawsuits had passed and that the pollution was not included in old regulations. However, a judge ruled that the case could continue, saying the Navy’s failure to share information limited what people could do.

In 2011, retired Marine Joel P. Shriberg sued the government, claiming his breast cancer was caused by the polluted water. He served at Camp Lejeune from 1957 to 1959.

In 2011, 10 lawsuits were combined in a federal court in Georgia. In 2014, a court ruled that North Carolina’s time limits for pollution-related lawsuits could not be changed.

A group of lawsuits, called MDL-2218, was dismissed in 2016 because of North Carolina’s time limits. The appeal to the 11th Circuit Court failed, and the U.S. Supreme Court did not take the case. In 2022, Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act as part of the Honoring Our PACT Act. This law allows people exposed to the polluted water to file lawsuits and seek compensation for their injuries.

In 2022, Andrew U. D. Straw, a lawyer and a Camp Lejeune claimant, sued the government. His mother died of cancer linked to the contamination before he finished law school. He is also seeking health care and education benefits for himself, as he was exposed to the toxins before and after birth. His case is ongoing, and he has asked the courts to change the judge handling his case. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act now allows people to file lawsuits, and breast cancer is now a condition that can be considered in legal cases.