Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit in Atlanta

The U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is an army installation on the east coast situated in Jacksonville, North Carolina. At present, it’s a combined installation with the New River Marine Corps Air Station. The headquarters is home to marine expeditionary powers and different units.

Between the mid-1950s and late 1980s, water contamination at this base posed a threat to the well-being of many individuals who lived there. Service members and their families were unknowingly drinking sullied water, and utilizing it to bathe, cook, and wash their garments.

Veterans who were living at Camp Lejeune during this period who later developed health conditions might be qualified for disability benefits. Our mass tort attorneys at Rueb Stoller Daniel are here to help you file a Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit in Atlanta.

With a new pending federal law, victims can before long file a case and get a settlement payout for the harm they have endured assuming that they lived in Camp Lejeune between January 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987.

To dive more deeply into how our Atlanta mass tort attorneys can help you, call us at 1-866-CALL-RSD or complete the form on this page to schedule your free consultation.

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What Are the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claims?

Since its establishment in 1942, Camp Lejeune has been an extremely durable or impermanent home for large numbers of military personnel and their relatives. It’s been a position of work or home for thousands of additional nonmilitary personnel workers for hire and representatives.

During the 1980s, environmental testing at Camp Lejeune uncovered that the water supply going to these officers and regular people was hazardously tainted. The water was sullied with synthetics from a dry-cleaning organization and the base water treatment offices nearby.

The Hadnot Point and Tarawa terrace water treatment plants are among those being referred to. The water exposed residents to more than 3,000 times the ATSDR-recommended safe limit for such poisonous synthetics.

The Veterans Administration might have denied claims for handicap or disease, however, another law known as the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, may permit you to document a case and get remuneration on the off chance that you inhabited Camp Lejeune somewhere in the range of 1953 and 1987 and created malignant growth or other ailments years after the fact.

Atlanta Camp Lejeune Lawsuit for Water Contamination | Rueb Stoller Daniel

What Are the Causes for the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination?

As indicated by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), numerous contamination sources were distinguished. They included garbage removal locales and underground stockpiling tanks. The poisonous mixtures found at Camp Lejeune are alluded to as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and they make up items like degreasers and dry-cleaning solvents.

A close-by dry-cleaning organization was utilizing such solvents, which wound up tainting the groundwater. The encompassing regions likewise had garbage disposal sites and industrial spills that added to the contamination.

The ATSDR says that water wells supplying the base surpassed its set limits. The contamination was first discovered in 1982, though it took over three years for the wells to be shut down.

Later investigations displayed there are in excess of 70 different synthetic substances that caused health risks. The riskiest and most predominant of these were the following:

Trichloroethylene (TCE) and Perchloroethylene (PCE)

TCE is an industrial chemical utilized in the production of hydrofluorocarbons. It was regularly utilized as a degreaser and solvent on metal military gear. The Hadnot Point facility was viewed as exceptionally defiled with TCE.

Both TCE and PCE have been found in studies to raise the risk of developing cancers, including liver and kidney tumors, alongside some indications of promoting non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease. Data also suggests that exposure to TCE is possibly connected with multiple myeloma and colon, prostate, and laryngeal cancers.

Dry cleaning and laundry work, which often involve using PCE and TCE, is also believed to be associated with pancreatic, kidney, esophageal, cervical, and lung cancers. There’s also growing support that they are associated with prostate, bladder, and colon cancers.

Benzene

Benzene is a known cancer-causing agent that is linked to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Vinyl Chloride

This is a chemical produced by burning plastics like PVC pipes. It’s profoundly carcinogenic and can cause several forms of cancer, including angiosarcoma, colon cancer, and testicular cancer. Exposure to vinyl chloride has been shown to result in up to 5 times higher rates of liver cancer, lung cancer, and angiosarcoma.

Toluene

Studies of laborers exposed to toluene showed an increased incidence of cancers affecting the breasts, lungs, stomach, esophagus, colon, and particularly the rectum. Additionally, the substance is known to increase the risk of lympholeukaemia, lymphosarcoma, as well as non-Hodgkins and Hodgkin’s lymphoma in workers exposed to it.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

Different Contaminants

While the poisons recorded above were found in the most elevated amounts in the water at Camp Lejeune, numerous other profoundly cancer-causing chemicals were found. Some of these include mercury and other heavy metals, assorted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, and others.

If no research exists connecting your cancer to the toxins listed above, there might still be a way to support a connection. Reach out to us today to schedule a free consultation with a class action lawyer and find out if you might have a case.

What Are the Side-Effects of the Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune?

The dangerous chemicals listed above have been connected to multiple serious health conditions. These include:

  • Esophageal cancer
  • Leukemia
  • Kidney cancer
  • Breast cancer
  • Bladder cancer
  • Lung cancer
  • Renal toxicity
  • Female infertility
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Miscarriage
  • Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
  • Scleroderma
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome
  • Neurobehavioral effects
  • Hepatic steatosis

If you lived at Camp Lejeune and you or a family member has developed the above conditions, you may be entitled to compensation by the VA, if you had past out-of-pocket costs as a result of medical care not covered by programs like deductibles or copays).

What Is the Janey Ensminger Act and How Can It Help Victims of the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination?

Following the disclosure of the tainting of the Camp Lejeune water supply system from various sources, the U.S. Government and Marine authorities knew that quick action was needed. After a few endeavors by the individuals from the House Veterans’ Affairs Committees and the Senate asking that medical care be given to the people in question, Jerry Ensminger joined the battle.

Jerry Ensminger introduced a petition to be sent to the U.S. Government requesting that medical services be given to the veterans that had been exposed to the poisons. Jerry Ensminger was personally affected by the tragic results of the water contamination, as his daughter Janey, had developed cancer in the wake of spending time at Camp Lejeune. Cancer took Janey’s life in 1985 while she was just 9 years of age.

Jerry Ensminger’s petition couldn’t be ignored by the government. On July 18, 2012, the U.S. Senate passed the Janey Ensminger Act, which honors both Jerry and his daughter Janey. The bill officially authorized the provision of medical services to both the veterans and their family members who had lived on Camp Lejeune from 1957 to 1987.

People who developed any form of disease or condition after staying at the Marine Base are entitled to healthcare. The bill is said to apply to more than 750,000 people. The House approved the Act on 31st July 2012 and was signed by President Obama on 6th August 2012.

The Act applies to specific diseases and ailments that are said to be linked to the contaminants present in the water at the camp. The medical care is provided by the Department of Veteran Affairs.

If you or a family member falls under the specific requirements and restrictions outlined by the Janey Ensminger Act, you should consider contacting our attorneys at Rueb Stoller Daniel about filing a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit in Atlanta.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit in Atlanta

What Is the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022?

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 is a bipartisan bill co-supported by 4 Republicans and 5 Democrats intended to guarantee individuals who experienced any diseases or conditions after staying at Camp Lejeune during the pollution period get compensation. The bill has developed into the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, which permits veterans and their families to seek justice for the different injuries and damages resulting from exposure to toxic conditions.

The new regulation would preferably override the past obstacles to restitution for some veterans and their families who had been prevented from obtaining compensation. It ought to likewise override the current legal time limit in North Carolina for such cases, and give another cutoff time to filing a case (two years) when the bill passes into law.

Who Can File a Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit in Atlanta?

The Janey Ensminger Act essentially presumes a “presumptive service connection” for certain conditions and illnesses associated with the water contamination at Camp LeJeune.

This means that you are not required to prove that your condition was caused by exposure to the toxins. You only need to show that you lived on the Camp Lejeune base during the contamination period for at least 30 days and developed a condition.

All the people who resided at the base from 1953 to 1987, including those who were in utero during the period (the mother resided at the base) are eligible for medical services, hospital care, and nursing home care through the VA, for any illness or condition caused by exposure to these contaminants.

If you’re unsure whether you qualify, the best way to know if you’re eligible is to contact us today for a free case evaluation.

Contact Our Atlanta Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit Attorneys Today!

If you or a loved one is suffering from a health condition linked to the Camp Lejeune water contamination, a lawyer can help make sure you receive the medical care and disability benefits you’re entitled to.

The class-action lawyers at Rueb Stoller Daniel can provide the research and expert opinion on the link between your condition and the water contamination, and work to help you receive the benefits you’re eligible for. If you applied for VA disability benefits and were denied, our team can help you file an appeal.

Contact us at 1-866-CALL-RSD to learn more about how we can help with your Camp Lejeune Water Contamination lawsuit in Atlanta.