Camp Lejeune is a large Marine Corps base and military training facility that covers nearly 250 square miles in Onslow County, North Carolina. It was opened in 1942. Camp Lejeune has been used as both a base of operations for the Marine Corps and as a military operations and training facility used by various branches of the armed forces.
In 1982, the Camp Lejeune water supply underground storage tanks were found to be contaminated with the volatile organic compounds trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE), Benzene, Toluene, Vinyl Chloride and over 70 other contaminants.
- Trichloroethylene (TCE) – A liquid organic chemical used primarily to make refrigerants and other hydrofluorocarbons, degreasing solvent for metal equipment, and dry cleaning. It is also used in some household products such as cleaning supplies, paint removers, and carpet cleaners.
- Perchloroethylene (PCE) – An organic chemical widely used in dry cleaning activities. It’s also used as a degreaser and in some consumer products such as shoe polish and typewriter correction fluid.
- Benzene – A natural part of crude oil and gasoline. Benzene is one of the most widely used chemicals in the U.S. It’s used to make plastics, resins, synthetic fibers, rubber lubricants, dyes, detergents, and pesticides.
- Vinyl chloride (VC) – A manufactured substance that can be formed when TCE and PCE are broken down. VC is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is used in manufacturing various plastic products.
The water at Camp Lejeune was supplied by the Tarawa Terrace Treatment Plant and Hadnot Point Treatment Plant, which served United States Marine Corps housing, barracks for unmarried military service members and family members, health care offices, schools, and recreational areas. The Hadnot Point water system also served the base hospital and an industrial area and supplied water to housing on the Holcomb Boulevard water system (full-time until 1972 and periodically thereafter).
If you or someone you know lived or worked at Camp Lejeune between 1957 and 1987 and suffered a toxic water disease such as cancer or another illness, call us to review your claim. You can reach us at 251-343-1111.