From 1953 to 1987, Marines, military families, and civilian staff at Camp Lejeune unknowingly bathed in and drank contaminated water. The tragedies that unfolded from that injustice are incalculable and unconscionable, including hundreds of babies who lost their lives because they were exposed to toxic water. Several of the babies were stillborn, so they didn’t even have a chance to take a single breath before they died.
Children weren’t the only ones to suffer because of exposure to Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water. Many adults have suffered and are suffering due to exposure to Camp Lejeune’s toxic water, developing serious, and often fatal, illnesses, such as cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
What Is the Camp Lejeune Justice Act?
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act was signed into law recently. It enables veterans, military families, and civilian contractors who served, resided, or worked at Camp Lejeune from August 1953 to December 1987 to recover compensation for what was done to them.
Who Is Eligible for Compensation Through the Camp Lejeune Justice Act?
In most cases, to be eligible for the Camp Lejeune Justice Act a person must meet one or more of the following requirements:
- A person or a person’s family member was exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days from August 1, 1953 to December 31, 1987. This can include utero exposure.
- A person or a person’s family member was diagnosed with a severe illness, like cancer, after working or living at Camp Lejeune. This can include a diagnosis that came years after the person worked or lived at the base.
- While a person worked or lived at Camp Lejeune, their child died shortly after birth.
- Following a person’s time living or working at Camp Lejeune, their child died shortly after birth.
- While a person worked or lived at Camp Lejeune, the person or their child was diagnosed with a major fetal malformation or birth defect.
- Following a person’s time living or working at Camp Lejeune, the person or their child was diagnosed with a major fetal malformation or birth defect.
- While a person worked or lived at Camp Lejeune, or not long after the person worked or lived at the base, the person suffered infertility or had a miscarriage.
In some cases, it can take years for the effects of toxic chemical exposure to reveal themselves. There are studies that show that long term toxic chemical exposure (30 days or more) can result in a person being at a higher risk of developing serious illnesses, such as cancer and Parkinson’s disease, for the rest of their life. This is why even if a person doesn’t develop health problems until years after working or living at Camp Lejeune, they may still be eligible for compensation.
What Types of Injuries Have Resulted from Exposure to Camp Lejeune’s Contaminated Water?
The effects of toxic chemicals are far-reaching, which means that the injuries and illnesses that can result from exposure to contaminated water are wide-ranging.
The following is a list of a few of the illnesses and injuries that people have suffered because of exposure to Camp Lejeune’s toxic water:
- Cancer (this includes almost every type of cancer)
- Hepatic steatosis
- Birth defects (including but not limited to choanal atresia, oral cleft defects, low birth weight, and neural tube defects)
- Major fetal malformations
- Female infertility
- Miscarriage
- End-stage renal disease
- Scleroderma
- Neurobehavioral effects
- Parkinson’s disease
- Fetal death
- Cardiac defects
- Aplastic anemia
- Renal toxicity
- Myelodysplastic syndromes
Our Experienced Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Attorneys Are Here for You. Schedule a Free Consultation Today!
No one deserves what happened to the people serving, living, and working at Camp Lejeune, especially our veterans and their families. The US Department of Defense (DOD) and US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) must answer for what they allowed to happen.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is a good start. However, even when it comes to that, there’s a lot of work left to do. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act has issues that still need to be worked out, including procedures that need to be established and questions that need answering.
At Webster Vicknair MacLeod, it’s our job to make sense of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act for our clients. Our experienced injury attorneys take on that burden for our clients from day one. We make sure that our clients are fully prepared at every stage of the process, including securing and properly filing all the items, forms, and documents necessary for them to recover the compensation they need and deserve. We are also prepared to file a lawsuit on our clients’ behalf. This is allowed under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act and may be necessary in some cases.
For more information about Webster Vicknair MacLeod, and how we can help you if you or a family member were exposed to contaminated water while serving, living, or working at Camp Lejeune, check out our clients’ reviews and case results.
To learn more about the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, or to speak with our experienced Camp Lejeune lawyers, call us at (713) 396-5197 or reach out to us online today for a free initial consultation. Se habla Español.