Marines and their families at Lejeune drank and bathed in water contaminated with toxicants at concentrations 240 to 3,400 times permitted by safety standards.
In 1982, it came to light that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) had been found in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune. This discovery was made during regular water source testing, revealing that two out of the eight water treatment plants on the base were affected. The presence of these contaminants was attributed to underground water storage tanks and water disposal tanks that had been leaking.
The analysis of the water sources revealed contamination with benzene, trichloroethylene (TCE) or perchloroethylene (PCE), and vinyl chloride (VC). All these substances are known to be carcinogenic or harmful to humans. In certain instances, the levels of these contaminants were discovered to be up to 300 times higher than the acceptable limits.
This contamination issue had originated in the early 1950s, but by 1985, most of the wells responsible for the contamination had been closed down. Nevertheless, a significant number of veterans, their family members, and civilians have since experienced severe health conditions as a result of previous exposure to these hazardous contaminants.
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