For more than 30 years, the drinking water at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune was contaminated with a variety of toxic chemicals and known human carcinogens, including trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), vinyl chloride (VC), and benzene. Exposure to this contaminated water has since been linked to the onset of a number of serious and fatal health conditions, affecting active duty servicemembers and their families, contract workers, and civilians alike.

For anyone who was stationed, lived, or worked at this base, it is imperative that you know what diseases are associated with Camp Lejeune water contamination.

If you were stationed, lived, or worked at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina for 30 cumulative days or more between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987, you were exposed to high levels of toxic chemicals and known carcinogens. This exposure has had a profound impact on the military community, causing high rates of cancer and other serious illnesses among veterans and their families.

With the recent passage of the Honoring our PACT Act and the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, it is understandable that some families who were at Camp Lejeune during the period of toxic exposure may be left wondering: Did the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune cause my child’s birth defect?