Noteboom The Law Firm

Flaws Exist in Camp Lejeune Cancer Survey

Camp Lejeune has had a severe history with contaminated water. From 1957 to 1987 the water wells at Camp Lejeune were exposed to organic solvents and noxious chemicals. That toxic contamination could have possibly affected up to 1 million people who worked and lived at Lejeune.

The Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry (ATSDR) is going to conduct a health survey of those people possible affected. The point of the survey is to determine if the levels of cancer and other health problems afflicting prior Lejeune personnel are higher than they "should be," given their exposure to the chemical contamination.

The ATSDR will then compare those results to personnel from Camp Pendleton, which is located in California. Camp Pendleton was chosen because demographically, it is a base very similar to Lejeune, without the exposure to toxic drinking water. Like Lejeune, Pendleton is also a superfund site, which means there is toxic material on the base property.

Comparing two superfund sites may very well give skewed results. It would not be a difficult task to compare cancer and birth defect rates from Lejeune to those rates on the West coast without specifically comparing to Pendleton.

The specific comparison, however, may make rates at Lejeune look better in contrast. This makes the entire comparison flawed and unsound. It may very well make it much more difficult for veterans to make successful disability compensation claims.

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.