The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry presented on Tuesday evening in Greensboro an update on its studies for past water contamination at Camp Lejeune.
The CDC agency (ATSDR) has released at least four studies linking toxic water exposure to birth defects, cancer and disease.
Third study confirms harmful effects of water at Camp Lejeune
It found that a dry cleaner and base activities contaminated the water from the 1950’s to the 1980’s.
In 2012, President Barack Obama signed an act to clear the way for an estimated one million people to get health benefits.
Esminger reflects on passage of bill to help victims
A court of appeals ruling essentially put them in a place where some could not file a claim because recent state law did not apply retroactively.
NC House backs Lejeune victims
ATSDR says it has five studies in the works, including tracking how poor water led to air problems as well. Another one focuses on men who got breast cancer.
“So these are a nasty bunch of chemicals that people at Camp Lejeune were exposed to,” said Dr. Richard Clapp, a member of the ATSDR Community Assistance Panel. “It’s not a surprise unfortunately that excess deaths have occurred from the number of conditions I just mentioned and there have been birth defects.”
The Community Assistance Panel was established to “voice the concerns of the affected community of marines and their families and to provide input for health studies.”
WNCT reached out to North Carolina Senator Richard Burr (R) who has backed legislation to help victims.
“It has been almost three years since Congress passed the Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act. In that time, the CDC has released four studies showing that these Camp Lejeune families have a higher risk of certain cancers and a higher mortality rate. Yet the VA continues to drag its feet and disagree with the government’s leading scientists. It’s unconscionable that only 10 percent of these sick veterans have gotten disability benefits. If the VA won’t listen to the law or to scientists, what’s it going to take?”-Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
The Panel will meet in Greensboro on Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
