Overview
The water contamination at Camp Lejeune is arguably the biggest national story this year. As it were, over one million people who were at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 were directly exposed to seriously contaminated water. We now know that this water was full of dangerous chemicals that have drastic effects on humans; thus, there were many people affected by Camp Lejeune. Thousands are now filing for financial benefits and compensation. The compensation can actually reach up to one million dollars or more, depending on the case in question.
People Affected
A very large number of people have been directly and indirectly affected by Camp Lejeune in many different ways. A huge portion of the population there lived out their entire lives during the period of contamination. So, who were the people affected by Camp Lejeune?
Military Members
The active soldiers who lived on base were definitely the ones at most risk of being exposed to the life-threatening water at Camp Lejeune. This is because they were the ones on the base who had the most access to contaminated water sources. Also, the majority of the people who lived at Camp Lejeune were soldiers and veterans. Many people came from all over the world to train at Camp Lejeune because it was known as one of the best training sites internationally.
Thus, it is no real surprise that the demographic that was most harmed was the military. Not only would they drink, bathe, wash, and use the water consistently, but they would also clean their equipment with chemicals and further contaminate the water.
Relatives
Since there were many soldiers living on the premises of the base, many of their families were living there as well. So to speak, a lot of these family members have come into contact with the toxic water. In addition to the many families living there, a lot of relatives would come to visit too. Therefore, a lot of these people have been at Camp Lejeune for more than the required minimum of 30 days in order to file a claim. Consequently, the number of people affected by Camp Lejeune increases as well.
Employees
Besides the people who were actively serving in the military, many people were regular civilians who were simply living in the area. A large portion of the population there were regular workers, just like anywhere else.
Visitors
Last but not least, people who have visited Camp Lejeune may also have been exposed to the toxic water. As a result, if a visitor wants to file a claim, they will need to prove that they were there for over 30 days in order for it to be valid. In this case, the 30 days do not have to be consecutive. Though it is believed that cases where the person has stayed at Camp Lejeune for more than 30 days in a row will be much stronger. In addition, many lawyers are only taking cases where the days are consecutive. This is because they have a higher chance of winning.
To reiterate, all of these people listed above are qualified to file a claim and request compensation. Everyone who was affected in any way deserves justice.
People Affected by Camp Lejeune: People Harmed
Camp Lejeune has been a source of much harm for over a million people. The projected number of people who were exposed to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune is somewhere between 700,000 and over 1,000,000. Since all of them were exposed to the poisonous water, a large number of people died. An even larger number of people have been harmed in other ways. Many are currently suffering because of “Camp Lejeune exposure.”
According to one source, there are an estimated 750,000 people who were hurt in some way because of Camp Lejeune; besides the deaths, a lot of people and their loved ones are dealing with the aftermath even now. The water caused countless diseases in the people who were exposed to it.
The contamination caused the following major health problems:
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Parkinson’s disease
People Affected by Camp Lejeune: Deaths
There were many innocent lives that were taken because of Camp Lejeune’s contamination. There are currently only rough estimates of the number of people killed as a direct result of Camp Lejeune. How many people have died from Camp Lejeune water poisoning in that case?
One source claims that almost 9,000 people who lived in Camp Lejeune between the years of 1953 and 1987 died between the years of 1979 and 2008. It is not very clear if they died because of the contaminated water, though. With that being said, there is no doubt that an alarming number of deaths have been caused by the water contamination in Jacksonville, NC. No one can deny that a lot of people there died prematurely. So, let us take a closer look at some of the facts and statistics. It was established which chemicals were present in the water, specifically the drinking water. It was also established what those chemicals could undoubtedly cause if people were exposed to them.
The toxic chemicals found in the water were vinyl chloride, benzene, TCE, PCE, and other dangerous compounds. The diseases that these substances can cause are very deadly. So, it is natural to assume that many of the deaths were a direct result of the water contamination. Here are the main causes of death as pertaining to Camp Lejeune:
- ALS
- Cancers
- Multiple sclerosis
- Kidney damage
- Liver damage
- Multiple sclerosis