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.

Camp Lejeune Bladder Cancer Lawsuit Infographic

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.