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Breast Cancer Rates Rising among Camp Lejeune Males

According to an article in The St. Petersburg Times, many U.S. veterans have formed breast cancer in which they claim was caused by drinking Camp Lejeune’s water, which was polluted and contaminated with carcinogens for 3 decades.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) records were used to identify 184 Marine veterans with histories of breast cancer and, according to some researchers, up to half of them served at Lejeune prior to 1987, which is when the contamination of the water wells had stopped. Researchers, however, have only checked about 60% of the VA’s cancer registry.

In addition, VA records do not reflect civilians with breast cancer who lived on the base, such as family members of soldiers. In fact, Mike Partain, a breast cancer survivor born at Lejeune, tracked down 73 other men with breast cancer, who were all exposed to the camp’s water but 12 were not veterans and never served in the Marines.

The Marine Corps is maintaining its assertion of denial as far as any connection between the cancer and the water at Lejeune. This is despite other Marines being granted veterans benefits due to their exposure.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.