Individuals who suffer from multiple myeloma after more than 30 days of exposure to toxic water contamination at North Carolina's Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 are eligible to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit under the newly enacted Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022. Contact the Camp Lejeune multiple myeloma lawyers at Marin and Barrett, Inc. at (888) 348-2735 today for a free, no obligation initial consultation.

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Individuals who suffer from multiple myeloma after more than 30 days of exposure to toxic water contamination at North Carolina’s Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 are eligible to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit under the newly enacted Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022. Contact the Camp Lejeune multiple myeloma lawyers at Marin and Barrett, Inc. at (888) 348-2735 today for a free, no obligation initial consultation.

Is Exposure to Toxic Water Contamination At Camp Lejeune Linked to Multiple Myeloma?

The effects of exposure to any toxic chemicals depend on—

  • When you are exposed (during pregnancy, in infancy, etc),
  • How much you are exposed to,
  • How long you are exposed,
  • How you are exposed (breathing, drinking), and
  • What your personal traits and habits are.

Not everyone who is exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), benzene, or vinyl chloride exposure will develop a health problem.  But, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ASTDR) there have been health effects that have been linked to TCE, PCE, benzene, or vinyl chloride in populations other than Camp Lejeune who worked with or drank water contaminated with these toxic chemicals. For years, the Federal government knew of the contamination that flowed to the Camp Lejeune water supplies through leaking underground storage tanks and other sources of contamination.  The Federal government failed to test the water coming from the military base Camp Lejeune water treatment plant for carcinogenic chemicals or volatile organic compounds.

A large body of epidemiologic evidence exists for exploring causal associations between certain types of cancer, including multiple myeloma, and trichloroethylene (TCE) exposure. Trichloroethylene is a colorless, volatile liquid. Liquid trichloroethylene evaporates quickly into the air. It is nonflammable and has a sweet odor. The two major uses of trichloroethylene are as a solvent to remove grease from metal parts and as a chemical that is used to make other chemicals, especially the refrigerant, HFC-134a.

Camp Lejeune Multiple Myeloma Lawsuit Infographic

ASTDR CAMP LEJEUNE CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES MORTALITY STUDY LINKS TCE AND MULTIPLE MYELOMA

A mortality study of civilian employees exposed to contaminated water at USMC Base Camp Lejeune was conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ASTDR). The purpose of the study was to determine whether potential exposures to the drinking water contaminants at Camp Lejeune are associated with increased risk of death from specific cancers and other chronic diseases among those who were employed at the base. The contaminants included trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethlylene (also known as perchloroethylene or PCE), benzene, and two contaminants that are formed when TCE or PCE degrade in ground water: 1,2-dichloroethylene and vinyl chloride.

The study evaluated specific causes of death in 4,647 full-time workers who were employed at Camp Lejeune during 1973-1985. It compared those to a group of 4,690 full-time workers who were employed at Camp Pendleton during 1973-1985 but were not employed at Camp Lejeune during this period. The Camp Pendleton workers were not exposed to contaminated drinking water.  The ASTDR study found elevated risks in the Camp Lejeune civilian workers for several causes of death, including multiple myeloma. Based on these scientific studies, there is sufficient evidence to link the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to multiple myeloma.

Additionally, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2001 draft TCE health risk assessment concluded that epidemiologic studies, on the whole, support associations between TCE exposure and excess risk of cancer, including multiple myeloma.

In addition to the connection between multiple myeloma and Camp Lejeune, there are fourteen other covered conditions for which the V.A. determined a presumptive service connection after they found sufficient evidence to show a causal relationship between exposure to Marine Corps Military Base Camp Lejeune’s tainted water and medical condition.  The presumptive conditions are:

The scientific studies, in addition to showing a high incidence of leukemia, also provide strong evidence of a causal relationship between Camp Lejeune’s water contamination to other illnesses including liver cancer, diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease, fatty liver disease, birth defects such as cardiac defects and neural tube defects, as well as prostate cancer, cervical cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and kidney cancer.

Camp Lejeune Multiple Myeloma Lawsuit

Finally, for the first time you can seek financial compensation for the harm you, or your loved one, suffered due to multiple myeloma caused by the contaminated water at the base. On August 10, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act of 2022. This law permits individuals who lived and worked at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base to seek compensation if they have multiple myeloma.

The PACT Act specifies that people who were exposed to the water at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more, between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987, have limited time to submit their Camp Lejeune claims. Call the Marin and Barrett Law Firm today at 1-888-348-2735 so we can help you seek compensation. You don’t need any records or evidence when you call. We can help you gather that information and get started.

WHAT IS MULTIPLE MYELOMA?

Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Healthy plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs. In multiple myeloma, cancerous plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cells. Rather than produce helpful antibodies, the cancer cells produce abnormal proteins that can cause complications.

Signs and symptoms of multiple myeloma can vary and, early in the disease, there may be none.  If symptoms do occur, they can include:

  • Bone pain, especially in your spine or chest
  • Nausea
  • Constipation
  • Loss of appetite
  • Mental fogginess or confusion
  • Fatigue
  • Frequent infections
  • Weight loss
  • Weakness or numbness in your legs
  • Excessive thirst