Congress is currently considering legislation to compensate US Marines and their families for diseases suffered from consuming contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1953 to 1987, when the water supply contained dangerously high levels of carcinogenic chemicals. Named the “Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022”, this bi-partisan effort seeks to remedy an injustice where the people injured by this water have been unable to seek compensation.
This law will cover anyone at Camp Lejeune – whether in the armed forces or civilian, including spouses and children living on the base. Generally, we believe the following diseases will be covered by the law:
| · Adult Leukemia
· Myelodysplastic Syndromes · Kidney Cancer · Multiple Myeloma · Parkinson’s Disease · Scleroderma |
· Aplastic Anemia
· Liver Cancer · Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma · Breast Cancer |
This list is likely to expand over time, as more cancer types and diseases are found to be linked to the drinking water at Camp Lejeune. The bill is currently in a subcommittee, so the final provisions are not known. You can see the current proposal at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6482 . From the current proposal, it appears that there will be strict time limits for filing claims. If a claim is not submitted within that short window, it may be forever barred. This is very concerning to us because many of our clients and their families may have been affected by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and are unaware of the new law and the associated deadlines.
If you or a loved one were at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between 1953 and 1987, and have ever been diagnosed with one of these conditions or any other type of cancer, please call us to discuss this potential new law and your legal rights to compensation.
