Parkinson's Disease Is Likely Caused By Camp Lejeune Water Contamination
Veterans and their family members from Camp Lejeune are 70% more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than other military personnel
Monday, May 15, 2023 - The Military Times (MT) is reporting on a study conducted by The Journal of The American Medical Association titled: " Large Study Links Industrial Solvent in Drinking Water to Parkinson Disease Risk in Camp Lejeune Veterans." that found higher than normal numbers of cases of Parkinson's disease, a deadly neurological disorder, have occurred over recent decades as a result of drinking Camp Lejeune water. According to MT, " Veterans and their family members who were exposed to contaminated water while living at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune are 70% more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than other service members, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Monday." More than one million marines, civilian employees, children and others who lived, worked, or played on the base from 1953 to 1987 have been exposed to levels of water carcinogens that have caused cancer and Parkinson's disease. About 45,000 Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims have been filed with the Navy JAG seeking lump-sum monetary compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, loss of consortium, and other damages. Many marines and family members have died from cancer over the years and are now connecting the dots as to the cause of their disease.
Parkinson's disease causes the gradual loss of motor functions in the limbs followed by degenerative cognitive function including memory loss. Parkinson's disease is not in itself fatal. People are said to die with Parkinson's disease, not from it. MT also reports the disturbing fact that hundreds of thousands of children may have been exposed to dangerous chemicals in the water and may develop Parkinson's disease later in life as adults. Drinking water tests required under Safe Drinking Water Act found levels of TCE and PCE, both human carcinogens. about 70 times greater than what is acceptable in two of the base's major water treatment facilities. Parkinson's disease is directly connected to drinking Camp Lejeune water contaminated with trichloroethylene, or TCE, perchloroethylene, or PCE, and other volatile organic compounds like benzene, and is one of the illnesses the Veteran's Administration presumes to have been caused by drinking the water on the base. Marines whose family members have developed cancer or died from the disease can file a Camp Lejeune Justice Act lawsuit in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Thousands have already done so and the court is said to be looking to consolidate the cases. Lawsuits allege the military ignored the Department of Navy's established water supply standards and failed to warn people at Camp Lejeune of the water contamination problem. JAMA reports that the authors of the study wrote that the sources of the water pollution were, " leaking underground storage tanks, industrial spills, and waste disposal sites (largely TCE) and an off-base dry-cleaning business (largely PCE)," and that " As many as 1 million military and civilian staff and their families might have been exposed to the contaminated water, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)."