The VA is adding to the list of health conditions that may be connected to contaminated drinking water at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
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Health benefits are already available for 15 other conditions, including a number of cancers, female infertility, miscarriage, and neurobehavioral effects. The VA is now starting the process of amending its regulations to establish presumptions of service connection for kidney cancer, angiosarcoma of the liver, and acute myelogenous leukemia, which are known to be related to long-term exposure to the chemicals in the water at Camp Lejeune from the 1950s to 1987. The chemicals—benzene, vinyl chloride, trichloroethylene, and perchloroethylene—are volatile organic compounds used in industrial solvents and components of fuels. The VA is working with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to evaluate the body of scientific knowledge and research related to exposure to those chemicals and the subsequent development of other diseases.
Related: Care for Camp Lejeune Veterans at Risk From Contaminated Water
The U.S. Marine Corps is encouraging all those who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune before 1987 to register for notifications at https://clnr.hqi.usmc.mil/clwater. Veterans with health problems that they believe are related to the contaminated water can file a claim for disability compensation at http://www.ebenefits.va.gov or call (800) 827-1000. More information is available at http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/camp-lejeune and by calling (877) 222-VETS (8387).
