Recent findings have highlighted a concerning trend for veterans stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, revealing a higher susceptibility to Parkinson’s disease compared to counterparts at other bases. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study linking this increased risk of diagnosis to prolonged exposure to contaminated water present at the base for an extended period.
The JAMA study, released in May, scrutinized data from the Veterans Health Administration and Medicare, encompassing more than 172,000 individuals stationed at Camp Lejeune between 1975 and 1985. This information was juxtaposed with data from nearly 170,000 individuals stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California during the same timeframe.
The statistics revealed that 279 service members from Camp Lejeune displayed symptoms of Parkinson’s disease or were diagnosed, contrasting with 151 cases at Camp Pendleton. Notably, the data exhibited that Camp Lejeune veterans faced a 70% higher likelihood of developing this progressive neurological condition. JAMA researchers underscored the far-reaching implications of this discovery, highlighting potential risks not only for the service members studied but also for hundreds of thousands of family members and civilian workers exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The water at Camp Lejeune was found to be contaminated with harmful cancer-causing chemicals, including perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene, and benzene—commonly found in various household products like cleaning fluids, paint removers, adhesives, dyes, and pesticides. The contamination stemmed from various sources, including underground storage tanks, industrial spills near the camp, and mismanagement of waste by an off-base dry cleaning facility.
The contamination spanned from 1953 to 1987, suspected for years but only identified in the early 1980s through water testing. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the exposure may have affected as many as one million individuals.
Beyond Parkinson’s disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attributed the contamination at Camp Lejeune to several other health issues and cancers, such as adult leukemia, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and reportedly, up to 10,000 cases of birth defects.
In response to these concerns, President Joe Biden enacted the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 as part of the Honoring Our Pact Act, aiming to aid over 3.5 million veterans exposed to hazards during military service. This legislation empowers individuals harmed by four decades of contaminated water at the North Carolina Marine Corps base to pursue legal action against the government, besides widening access to healthcare and disability benefits for affected veterans globally.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs extends comprehensive support to veterans grappling with service-related health issues, offering disability benefits, compensation, and crucial resources.
