Leukemia Linked To Contaminated Water At Camp Lejeune
An increased risk of Leukemia has been identified by professionals who’ve studied the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and veteran medical records as a tragically common diagnosis.
About Leukemia
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood-forming systems of the body, impacting blood cells, bone marrow and the lymphatic system.
There are four main types of leukemia diagnosed:
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
- Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
The various types of leukemia progress differently and impact the blood-producing systems of the body in ways unique from one another.
There are also other, rarer types of leukemia that aren’t listed above.
Leukemia impacts people of all ages, especially children.
According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, nearly 400,000 people are living with or in remission from leukemia and nearly 60,000 people are diagnosed with the cancer every year.
Leukemia and its Causes
Leukemia diagnosis can be linked to a number of different factors, both environmental factors and non-environmental, genetic factors.
Environmental Leukemia causes include, but are not limited to:
- Chemical Exposure: exposure to certain chemicals, particularly Benzene, has shown to increase the risk of Leukemia.
- Exposure to Radiation: Scientific and medical evidence has shown that exposure to radiation greatly increases the risk of all types of leukemia.
- Smoking: Smoking increases the risk of developing Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
- Chemotherapy Drugs: Certain drugs used to fight other cancers can inadvertently increase the risk of leukemia, especially if the treatment is long-term (2-10 years).
Benzene, a main environmental risk factor for Leukemia, contaminated water supplies at Camp Lejeune.
Research on the relation between Benzene exposure and Leukemia include:
The effort to prove that leukemia, specifically childhood leukemia, can be associated with exposure to benzene has been difficult.
An article from the Guardian published in 2014 details the story of a Georgia family and their fight to bring justice for their son who developed leukemia while living in close proximity to BP-owned petroleum tanks.
BP and their subsidiaries spent millions funding research to invalidate the findings that benzene does in fact contribute to leukemia diagnoses.
Leukemia Symptoms and Complications
The various types of leukemia present themselves in different ways and levels of severity.
Symptoms across these types of leukemia are generally similar to one another.
Listed below are early warning signs and common symptoms of leukemia:
- Fever or chills
- Persistent fatigue, weakness
- Frequent or severe infections
- Losing weight without trying
- Swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen
- Easy bleeding or bruising
- Recurrent nosebleeds
- Tiny red spots in your skin (petechiae)
- Excessive sweating, especially at night
- Bone pain or tenderness
There are serious complications associated with leukemia, especially if treatment isn’t undertaken as soon as the warning signs appear.
- Severe infection
- Urinary tract infection
- Pneumonia
- Skin infection
- Bleeding throughout the body
- Intracranial hemorrhage: bleeding in the brain and skull
- Pulmonary hemorrhage: bleeding in the lungs
- Gastrointestinal hemorrhage: bleeding in the stomach and/or intestines
What Other Health Conditions Has Water Contamination At Camp Lejeune Been Linked To?
The consumption of Camp Lejeune contaminated water has been linked to a number of cancer and non-cancer diagnoses including, but not limited to:
- Prostate Cancer
- Lung Cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Kidney Cancer
- Adult Leukemia
- Aplastic Anemia
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Renal Toxicity
- Multiple Myeloma
- Other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Miscarriage, infertility and birth defects
- Many more diagnoses
Service members, their families, civilian workers, and countless others were diagnosed with deadly health conditions, and for years could not secure the benefits they desperately need.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act: Helping those Exposed to Camp Lejeune's Contaminated Water Supply
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is a new piece of legislation that has been signed into law by President Biden.
This bill is encompassed by the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, which grants new health care, disability benefits and Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits to veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act affords former Camp Lejeune residents the ability to sue and recover damages for exposure to the toxic substances in the water supply, one of the first times the federal government has allowed legal action of this sort.
Camp Lejeune veterans and Camp Lejeune families will be able to secure compensation for health problems and medical expenses related to the toxic chemicals they were exposed to while living on the base.
Those eligible will file Camp Lejeune lawsuits in the U.S. District Court: Eastern District of North Carolina.
In the past, several bills were introduced to address the issue at the North Carolina military base but none have had any widespread impact for victims and families.
Now, people who were denied benefits or compensation in the past may have a fair shot at adequate compensation.
Camp Lejeune Leukemia Lawsuit
With the Senate passage of the PACT Act, and the signing of the bill into law by President Biden, Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuits are able to be filed by any person exposed to contaminated water at the Marine Corps base between 1953 and 1987.
If you, a family member or a loved one was exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune between these dates, and developed leukemia, you may qualify to file a Camp Lejeune Lawsuit.
We thank the brave veterans for their service to our country. Now let us serve you.
Our law firm is dedicated to achieving justice for service members and their families.
TorHoerman Law is accepting clients for the Camp Lejeune Leukemia Lawsuits in all 50 states.
Contact us or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify for legal action instantly.
Our law firm works on a contingency fee basis, meaning you are not required to pay attorney fees unless your case wins compensation.
