WHAT HAPPENED

Between 1957 – 1987 an estimated 750,000 to 1,000,000 people may have drank and bathed in tap water containing extremely high concentrations of toxic chemicals at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. It is believed to be one of the largest water contamination incident s in US history.

Leaking underground storage tanks, industrial area spills, waste disposal sites and waste from an off-base dry cleaning business were identified as the sources of the contamination. The chemicals found in the water include benzene, vinyl chloride and trichloroethylene (TCE), three known human carcinogens, in addition perchloroethylene (PCE), a probable carcinogen.

Camp Lejeune chronology of significant events

ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS

73 men who lived at Lejeune have been diagnosed with male breast cancer, a rare disease that accounts for less than 1% of all breast carcinomas, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Benzene Fact Sheet PCE Fact Sheet TCE Fact Sheet 1 TCE Fact Sheet 2

Birth Defects	Leukemia	Neurological Damage	Bladder Cancer
Liver Damage	Ovarian Cancer	Breast Cancer	Lymphoma
Prostate Cancer	Cervical Cancer	Lung Cancer	Scleroderma
Kidney Damage	Miscarriage	Skin Disorders

FURTHER RESOURCES

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry
Contains basic information and answers to frequently asked questions.