Camp Lejeune Justice Bill
A bill aimed at helping Camp Lejeune Marines affected by toxic water passed the U.S. House and is on its way to the Senate. If it passes, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, introduced by U.S Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Gary Peters (D-MI), will pave the way for service members and their families stationed at the North Carolina base to file lawsuits for cancer, infertility, and other injuries they suffered after drinking toxic water.
A 1997 study conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found that, for more than 30 years, from 1953 to 1987, drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with:
- Trichloroethylene (TCE)
- Perchloroethylene (PCE)
- Benzene
- Vinyl chloride
- Other compounds
Tens of thousands of Marines and their families, as well as contracted civilian workers and other personnel who were living or working at the base, were exposed to these dangerous chemicals at 240 to 3,400 times the levels deemed to be safe. Camp Lejeune Marines, their families, and other personnel have shown a significantly increased risk for several types of cancers, birth defects and miscarriages, and other serious illnesses.
Who is Eligible for Compensation for Camp Lejeune Toxic Water?
You may be eligible for compensation if:
- Military records show you or your spouse/parent served at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 days from August 1953 through December 1987 while on active duty, or in the National Guard or Reserves, and
- You have been diagnosed with:
- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Female infertility
- Hepatic steatosis
- Kidney cancer
- Leukemia
- Lung cancer
- Miscarriage
- Multiple myeloma
- Myelodysplastic syndromes
- Neurobehavioral effects
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Renal toxicity
- Scleroderma
- Birth defects
What does Camp Lejeune Justice Act Do?
The legislation will remove legal barriers that have unfairly denied Camp Lejeune families their day in court. If it passes, they will be able to file lawsuits in the district court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Senator Tillis, who is a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs and Judiciary Committees, co-sponsored The Janey Ensminger Act in 2019 to provide VA medical care for Marines and their families who have been exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act gives those families and individuals the same opportunity to pursue compensation in court that other U.S. citizens are guaranteed.
OnderLaw has a history of standing with veterans whose lives and rights have been trampled on by corporate greed. We believe it is unacceptable for those who fight for our country to be treated with indifference or worse when it comes to their most basic health and safety.
We urge the U.S. Senate to pass this important bill, and we’re standing with Marines and their families, as well as contract workers and others who drank toxic water at Camp Lejeune and developed cancer or pregnancy and birth problems.
Call OnderLaw Military Base Cancer Lawyers
If you worked or lived at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and suffered from the effects of toxic water, call OnderLaw. We’re here to help, and we’re here for you.
Read the bill here.
