Study on contaminated water due in December - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Study on contaminated water due in December

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — A study examining whether exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, N.C., increased the likelihood of developing childhood cancers or birth defects may be completed by December, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

Launched in 2005 by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the study focuses on fetuses and children up to a year old who were exposed to the water between 1968 and 1985, according to the GAO report, which was released May 11.

The report goes through a detailed history of water contamination at Camp Lejeune, starting when the Navy first conducted water testing in the early 1980s. That testing found that volatile organic compounds, such as trichloroethylene, a metal degreaser, and tetrachloroethylene, a dry-cleaning solvent, were in the water supply in two base housing areas — Hadnot Point and Tarawa Terrace.

The Marine Corps estimates 50,000 leathernecks and family members lived in the areas affected, but advocacy groups claim as many as 200,000 people may have been exposed.

Contamination came from underground storage tanks, both on and off base, some of which were installed in the 1940s, according to ATSDR.

In 1985, 10 contaminated wells were removed from service. People who claim they were exposed to the contaminated water say too much time elapsed between the discovery of the contaminants and shutting down the wells.

Former residents and base employees have filed about 750 claims against the federal government, according to the GAO report.

At least three people exposed to the contaminated water will be heard in a congressional hearing June 12, according to a Web site dedicated to helping people affected by the contaminated water.