Common Cancers Resulting from Exposure to Toxic Water at Camp Lejeune

Camp Lejeune is a Marine Corps base camp that is located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. For over 30 years, the water at this base camp was highly contaminated with toxic chemicals. Millions of people were negligently exposed to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune. Those exposed were left with a number of severe medical conditions, including different types of cancer.

Did you or a loved one develop cancer after being exposed to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune? If so, you could have the right to file a lawsuit. For more information about your right to sue the government for the cancer that you or a loved one developed because of the toxic water at Camp Lejeune, do not hesitate to contact the experts here at our law firm immediately. Our lawyers here at the Kenmore Law Group are ready to evaluate your claim and help you recover the payout that you are owed.

What Are the Most Common Types of Cancer?

As of 2020, the most common types of cancers are the following

• Lung cancer and bronchus cancer
• Colon cancer and rectum cancer (colorectal cancer)
• Melanoma of the skin (skin cancer)
• Bladder cancer
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Kidney cancer and renal pelvis cancer
• Endometrial cancer
• Leukemia
• Pancreatic cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Liver cancer

This is based on information form the National Cancer Institute. Also, it is important to note that over 40% of all new cancer cases in men consist of prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer. In women, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer account for about 50% of all new cancers. In addition, the National Cancer Institute estimates that almost 40% of all men and women will be diagnosed with some form of cancer at some point of their lives.

What Are Some of the Cancers that Resulted from Exposure to Toxic Water at Camp Lejeune?

The different cancers that have been directly correlated with exposure to toxic water at Camp Lejeune include the following:

• Bladder cancer
• Breast cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Leukemia
• Liver cancer
• Lung cancer
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Some of the other diseases that have been associated with the contaminated water at the base camp include aplastic anemia, hepatic steatosis, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, Parkinson’s disease, renal toxicity, and scleroderma, for example.

Did you or a loved one suffer any of the cancers or other medical conditions mentioned after being exposed to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune? If so, it is important that you seek legal assistance as soon as possible. You could be eligible to file a lawsuit under a new law.

About the PACT Act – Your Right to Sue

Primarily, let’s review what happened at Camp Lejeune. Between 1953 and 1987, the water supply at the Marine Corps base camp was contaminated with toxic chemicals, including tetrachloroethylene (PCE or PERC), trichloroethylene (TCE), vinyl chloride, and benzene. These contaminants came from multiple sources, which included a nearby business, leaking fuel tanks, and industrial waste. This caused millions of people, including Marines, their families, other military members, non-military staff, contractors, civilians, etc. to be exposed to the toxic water. Worst of all, leadership at the base was well aware of the situation but failed to take any action.

It’s been decades since this water contamination incident. Still, in August 2022, a new law was passed giving veterans, their families, and essentially everyone who was exposed to the contaminated water and was harmed in one way or another. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act was passed as part of the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. The PACT Act allows all those who suffered injuries (including those who developed cancer) the right to file a lawsuit against the government. The PACT Act was signed into law on August 10, 2022.

What does the PACT Act mean to you? Under the PACT Act, all affected parties (with the exception of those who were dishonorably discharged) the right to file a lawsuit and recover damages. The damages that claimants could recover include medical costs, disability benefits, pain and suffering, mental health costs, counseling costs, etc.

The PACT Act creates a two-year window from August 2022 for claimants to file their lawsuits with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Who can file a lawsuit under the PACT Act? Affected parties that were stationed at, lived at, or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between 1953 and 1987 could be eligible to sue. This includes veterans, civilians, contractors, etc. that lived on or worked at the base.

Participating in a Class Action Lawsuit

Can I participate in a class action lawsuit for the most common types of cancers associated with Camp Lejeune contaminated? Yes – you could be eligible to participate in a class action lawsuit. What cancers fall under the class action lawsuits? The cancers that fall under the claims process include the following: breast cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, renal cancer, kidney cancer, rectum cancer, bladder cancer, melanoma, skin cancer, thyroid cancer, liver cancer, etc. Can I be added to the lawsuit if I have any of these cancers? Yes – you can. If you or a loved one developed any of these cancers as a direct result of exposure to toxic water, you could certainly have the right to participate in a Camp Lejeune cancer class action lawsuit.

Recovering Compensation

If your lawsuit is successful, you could be eligible to recover a significant amount of compensation. Some of the categories of compensation that you could recover include the following:

• Medical expenses
• Mental health and counseling expenses
• Lost income
• Pain and suffering
• Punitive damages
• Legal fees

If you are filing a lawsuit for wrongful death after a loved one died of cancer, you could be eligible to recover compensation for the following:

• Loss of financial support
• Funeral and burial expenses
• Loss of consortium

Other Questions Surrounding Compensation

In addition to requesting information regarding the categories of compensation available for recovery, many people have also contacted us requesting information about possible case values and the length of time that the settlement process could take. Consider the following:

• What is the average value of my Camp Lejeune cancer case? There are many factors that must be evaluated to even estimate a case value. However, these cases tend to be high value cases. You can expect the case value to range from $150,000 to $750,000. In some instances, these cases can be worth millions.
• How long will my case take to settle? The time that it takes to settle can vary significantly from case to case. Our experts aim to settle these cases within 6 to 8 months; however, this is not always possible. Even minor complications with a case can lead to major setbacks and cause the case to take longer to settle. Regardless of complications, most cases can be settled in under 2 years, although some cases can take much longer to finally settle.

How Do I Prepare to File a Lawsuit?

Are you thinking about filing a lawsuit under the PACT Act? If so, it is essential that you prepare. One of the most important things that you gather proof that you or a loved one lived at or worked at the base for at least 30 days between the years of 1953 and 1987. Some documents that could serve as proof include military records, military papers, identification cards, work contracts, etc.

In addition to proving that you or a loved one lived at or worked at Camp Lejeune, you will need to prove that harm occurred as a direct result of being exposed to the toxic water. To prove that you or a loved one suffered cancer or other harm due to exposure to toxic water, you should gather medical records and health insurance records, for example.

Lastly, it is essential that you find a lawyer that can take care of your lawsuit and fight for your rights. Here at our law firm, our lawyers are not afraid to take on your case and start working on getting you the highest settlement available for your claim.

The Statute of Limitations for Your Camp Lejeune Cancer Lawsuit

The PACT Act created a two-year window (from the date that the act was signed into law) for claimants to file their lawsuits. This means that claimants have until August 2024 to file their lawsuits against the government. If you fail to file your lawsuit on time, you could lose your right to file your lawsuit for cancer resulting from the exposure to toxic water at Camp Lejeune.

Contact Kenmore Law Group

Were you or a loved one exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune resulting in a Cancer diagnosis? If so, you could have grounds to file a lawsuit under the PACT Act. For more information about your right to file a lawsuit and recover compensation, contact us today. Our lawyers here at the Kenmore Law Group have decade of experience and are ready to help you every step of the way.