People who worked at Camp Lejeune while the water there was contaminated were more likely to die from several kinds of cancer and Parkinson’s disease, according to a new government report.
The study looked at deaths among civilian workers employed at the U.S. Marine Corps base in North Carolina from 1973 to 1985, when water was contaminated with chemicals including benzene and trichloroethylene, and compared them to those of similar workers at Camp Pendleton in California. The Camp Lejeune workers were at higher risk for kidney cancer, leukemia, prostate cancer and rectal cancer, in addition to Parkinson’s, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry report, published Wednesday in the Journal of Environmental Health.
The group previously reported that military personnel were at higher risk for several types of cancer and Lou Gehrig’s disease. Not very many people who drank the contaminated water have died yet, so more study will be needed to confirm the risks. The USMC says the drinking water at Camp Lejeune currently meets all government drinking water standards.
IN-DEPTH
- Camp Lejeune Study Finds Higher Cancer Death Risk
- Contamination at NC Marine base lasted up to 60 years
-Lisa Tolin
