As of August 9th, 2022, Camp Lejeune bladder cancer lawsuits against the U.S. Marine Corps and the Federal Government are permitted by the newly enacted Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022. The new law provides veterans, their families, and civilian base workers who spent more than 30 days at North Carolina’s Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 and have been diagnosed with bladder cancer the legal right to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit for financial compensation for their injuries. The toxic water contamination at Camp Lejeune and bladder cancer have been linked by numerous scientific studies. Call the personal injury lawyers at Marin and Barrett, Inc. at (888) 348-2735 today for a free, no obligation bladder cancer lawsuit evaluation with our legal team.
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As of August 9th, 2022, Camp Lejeune bladder cancer lawsuits against the U.S. Marine Corps and the Federal Government are permitted by the newly enacted Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022. The new law provides veterans, their families, and civilian base workers who spent more than 30 days at North Carolina’s Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 and have been diagnosed with bladder cancer the legal right to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit for financial compensation for their injuries. The toxic water contamination at Camp Lejeune and bladder cancer have been linked by numerous scientific studies. Call the personal injury lawyers at Marin and Barrett, Inc. at (888) 348-2735 today for a free, no obligation bladder cancer lawsuit evaluation with our legal team.
IS WATER CONTAMINATION AT CAMP LEJEUNE LINKED TO BLADDER CANCER?
The toxic contamination of the drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune was primarily due to two dangerous chemicals. One source of the contaminated water was a dry cleaner who was located across the street from Camp Lejeune. The dry cleaning solvent perchlorethylene was detected in the drinking water after it contaminated the groundwater and made its way into the wells that served especially the family housing at Camp Lejeune. The second source of contamination was from the chemical trichlorethylene. Trichlorethylene is a degreasing solvent that is used to take grease off of parts that had been machined on a lathe. This industrial chemical was disposed of in a careless way resulting it it making its way into the groundwater on the base and then dissolved and went through the soil into the area that there were drinking water wells drawing water up from underground.
In 2018, a study published by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry concluded that Camp Lejeune’s contaminated drinking water was linked to increased risk for bladder cancer. The study acknowledged that drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), benzene, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE), and vinyl chloride. Their analysis of 214,970 Marines and Navy personnel who were stationed at Camp Lejeune from April 1975 to December 1985 revealed that the contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune was associated with increased risk in both Marines and civilian employees for bladder cancer.
Scientific Research CONFIRMS Links BETWEEN Bladder Cancer to Toxic Chemicals
In 2014, Environmental Health Perspectives published an article titled “Tetrachloroethylene Exposure and Bladder Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis of Dry-Cleaning-Worker Studies.” The study was initiated after the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified tetrachloroethylene, the primary solvent used in dry cleaning, as “probably carcinogenic to humans” based on limited evidence of an increased risk of bladder cancer in dry cleaners. The study concluded that there was scientific evidence linking tetrachloroethylene to an excess risk of bladder cancer and other types of cancer because it is the primary solvent used and it is the only chemical commonly used by dry cleaners that is currently identified as a potential bladder carcinogen.
Then in 2016, Cancer Epidemiology published an articled titled “Occupational exposure to solvents and bladder cancer: A population-based case control study in Nordic countries.” The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between exposure to selected solvents, including trichloroethylene, and the risk of bladder cancer. This study revealed a statistically significant increased risks of bladder cancer for those with high exposure to trichloroethylene, toluene and benzene and for those with medium exposure to perchloroethylene. These are the same toxic chemicals that were found in the contaminated water at the military base Camp Lejeune. The findings of this study show a statistically significant increased risk of bladder cancer, in addition to other types of cancer, among individuals employed in occupations where exposures to solvents likely occur. Additionally, in a Nordic study, excess risk of bladder cancer was observed among dry cleaning assistants exposed to tetrachloroethylene, regardless of the duration of employment.
Camp Lejeune Bladder Cancer Lawsuits
A Marine Corps veteran who had spent time at Camp Lejeune in the 1980s and was later diagnosed with bladder cancer was awarded $1.1 million in Camp Lejeune Disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2021.
This disability case is one of the first Camp Lejeune lawsuits to be settled under a new V.A. disability compensation program for service members harmed by the contaminated water at the Marine Corps base. The Marine Corps veteran had worked at the base for six years and had been exposed to contaminated well water while working on the base. This Camp Lejeune toxic water lawsuit settlement constitutes a significant victory for the veterans and their families. They have been fighting for years to get justice and compensation for the harm caused by the contaminated well water. The Camp Lejeune settlement disability benefit payouts are an excellent first step. However, there is still more work to be done to ensure that all those affected by the water contamination at Camp Lejeune receive the justice and compensation they deserve.
Other Medical Conditions Caused by Camp Lejeune Water Contamination
In addition to Camp Lejeune and bladder cancer, there are fourteen other presumptive conditions for which the V.A. determined a presumptive service connection after finding medical evidence of an association between exposure to Marine Corps Camp Lejeune’s tainted water and the health conditions. The V.A.’s determination of a presumptive service connection entitled those suffering with these conditions to disability benefits. They are:
The scientific studies, in addition to showing a high incidence of bladder cancer at Camp Lejeune, also provide strong evidence linking the effects of exposure to contaminated water to other illnesses including liver cancer, liver disease, breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer. Also, babies who were exposed to hazardous chemicals in utero may also suffer from health issues such as miscarriages, birth defects and cardiac defects.
What Is The Camp Lejeune justice act of 2022?
Passed in August, The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 provides individual victims of water contamination the ability to take legal action to file a claim against the United States Federal Government for financial compensation. The Act does not limit claims to military service members. It allows all Camp Lejeune water contamination victims to file a claim including service members, families, civilian workers, and any other person who resided at North Carolina’s Marine Corps military base Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more between 1953 and 1987 and has been harmed by carcinogenic chemicals in the contaminated water supply to initiate a toxic water lawsuit.
The Act would allow claimants to pursue legal action against the United States Government in the same way traditional personal injury claims are handled. Additionally, the Act would overrides North Carolina state law statute of repose and statute of limitations which would bar old claims from being pursued now. Pursuant to the Act, these cases will be consolidated, handled, and tried in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The experienced personal injury lawyers at the Marin and Barrett law firm stand ready to assist you in filing your Camp Lejeune bladder cancer water contamination lawsuit. From our offices in South Carolina, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, we are assisting Clients with Camp Lejeune claims nationwide. Call now to speak with a Camp Lejeune attorney today. There is a limited time period in which you may file a claim, don’t delay.
History of Water Contamination at North Carolina’s Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
The Federal Government and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs has extensively researched the causes and effects of toxic water contamination at Camp Lejeune. In one of those studies, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s has indicated that past exposures from 1953 through 1987 to tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in the drinking water at military base Camp Lejeune can cause a number of medical conditions including bladder cancer.
Hadnot Point (HP) began operations in 1942 and served the main side barracks, Hospital Point family housing, and family housing at Midway Park, Paradise Point, and Berkeley Manor until 1972. The water supply from Hadnot Point was contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) with maximum levels of 1,400 parts per billion (pub) detected in the drinking water. The current maximum contaminant level for TCE in drinking water is 5 ppb. Other contaminants detected in the Hadnot Point water supply included the dangerous chemicals PCE (perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene), DCE (trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, and benzene. The sources of the contamination included leaking underground storage tanks, a water treatment plant, a water treatment facility, waste disposal sites and waste disposal practices.
The Tarawa Terrace water supply, which served Tarawa Terrace family base housing and the Knox trailer park, was contaminated with tetrachloroethylene (PCE) with maximum levels of 215 ppb detected in February 1985.
Bladder Cancer
In 2022, an estimated 81,180 adults (61,700 men and 19,480 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with bladder cancer. Smoking accounts for 47% of all these cases. Worldwide, an estimated 573,278 people were received a bladder cancer diagnosis in 2020.
Bladder cancer occurs mainly in older people. About 9 out of 10 people with this cancer are over the age of 55. The average age of people when they are diagnosed is 73. Overall, the chance men will develop this cancer during their life is about 1 in 27. For women, the chance is about 1 in 89. About half of all bladder cancers are first found while the cancer is still found only in the inner layer of the bladder wall. These are non-invasive or in situ cancers.
About 1 in 3 bladder cancers have spread into deeper layers but are still only in the bladder. In most of the remaining cases, the cancer has spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes outside the bladder. Rarely, in about 4% of cases, it has spread to distant parts of the body. Black patients are slightly more likely to have more advanced disease when they’re diagnosed, compared to whites.
Identifiable risk facts for bladder cancer include tobacco use, age, gender, race, chemicals, previous radiation therapy to the pelvis, chronic bladder problems, cyclophosphamide use, pioglitazone use, personal history, schistosomiasis, lynch syndrome or other genetic syndromes, and arsenic exposure.
Symptoms of bladder cancer can include:
Blood or blood clots in the urine
Pain or burning sensation during urination
Frequent urination
Feeling the need to urinate many times throughout the night
Feeling the need to urinate, but not being able to pass urine
Lower back pain on 1 side of the body
What Camp Lejeune Bladder Cancer Settlement Amounts Can You Expect?
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 was passed as part of larger bill called the Honoring Our PACT Act which, among its provisions, the bill will help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits used in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, used to incinerate environmental hazards and other refuse. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Honoring Our PACT Act – the most comprehensive ever passed for military veterans – will cost almost $300 billion over the next decade.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the Camp Lejeune claims has projected $6 billion to settle these cases. However, the CBO is ill equipped to accurately measure the potential liability for the contaminated water supply and value of claims in these cases. With over 900,000 individuals exposed to the toxic water contamination, it is difficult to even estimate the total number of Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits that will be filed let alone the value of each water contamination claim for compensation. Additionally, it is unknown how many wrongful death claims will be filed as a result of deaths from bladder cancer caused by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
Similar bladder cancer lawsuits have resulted in a wide-range of jury verdicts and lawsuit settlements:
2018: $9.5 Million settlement for its client and his wife in a lawsuit alleging that the client developed cancer as a result of his historic and chronic exposure to benzene, solvents and toxic chemicals in the workplace. The plaintiff worked in a plant where his job duties required him to use various solvents to clean up paints and coatings. The solvents were extremely hazardous and contained known carcinogenic components.
2015: Takeda Pharmaceutical agreed to pay to settle claims alleging that it’s diabetes medication Actos caused bladder cancer in patients. The average amount of damages paid out to each individual plaintiff would be nearly $300,000 per case.
Camp Lejeune Bladder Cancer Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with bladder cancer due to time spent at Camp Lejeune, you are entitled to financial compensation under the new Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022. Call the Marin and Barrett Law Firm today at (888) 348-2735 for a free claim evaluation.
At Marin and Barrett, Inc., our toxic water contamination lawyers are well versed in the dangerous of exposure to toxic chemicals like tetrachloroethylene and the scientific linkage between tetrachloroethylene exposure and bladder cancer. We can help those suffering with bladder cancer due to their exposure to water at Military Base Camp Lejeune that had been contaminated with tetrachloroethylene recover financial compensation through a toxic water bladder cancer lawsuit. The monetary compensation you receive as part of your Camp Lejeune lawsuit can help pay for medical expenses and future medical treatment.
Neither Marine Corps nor active duty military service is required to pursue a Camp Lejeune bladder cancer claim. All that is required to take legal action is the ability to show a connection between exposure to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune contaminated water and your bladder cancer and other adverse health effects. You are also not required to be receiving or have filed for V.A. disability benefits, a disability claim, or health care benefits to pursue a toxic water lawsuit.
We are frequently asked if it is possible to file a bladder cancer lawsuit on behalf of a loved one that is deceased. The answer is yes, under the new Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 you can file a bladder cancer lawsuit on their behalf. If a loved one passed away due to bladder cancer caused by water contamination at Camp Lejeune, you may be eligible to file a Camp Lejeune bladder cancer wrongful death claim on their behalf. To move forward with a bladder cancer wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of a loved one you may need to provide medical records or a death certificate corroborating your loved one’s bladder cancer diagnosis.
There is a strict statute of limitation to file a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit so time is of the essence, don’t delay take legal action today. Attorney Matthew Marin and the Marin and Barrett Legal Team is working the Camp Lejeune lawsuits on a strict contingency fee basis; this means that you don’t pay attorneys fees unless you receive a financial settlement. Call the skilled personal injury lawyers at the Marin and Barrett law firm for legal assistance with your Camp Lejeune bladder cancer lawsuit today at (888) 348-2735.
