Sadly, numerous veterans, their family members as well as workers at the Camp Lejeune Marine base suffered organ cancer such as Bladder, Kidney, Prostate and Liver cancer that is linked to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. For over three decades, The federal government carelessly exposed service members and their families to a Litany of toxic chemicals at Camp Lejeune. Not knowing the danger, these marines and their families drank and bathed in heavily contaminated water. Although Camp Lejeune was designed poorly in a manner that increase the danger of the water, the exact hazards were not known for almost 30 years. Even after the federal government learned of the danger in which they placed these families, it was years before it fully disclosed the hazards to those exposed. By that time, Camp Lejeune victims were not able to file a lawsuit for financial compensation.
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Colon cancer caused by Camp Lejeune water
This page was updated by lawyers on December 6, 2023 to provide the most up to date information to our viewers about Camp Lejeune organ cancers.
Decades later, Congress has acted to give Camp Lejeune victims the right to file a claim against the federal government. Now, families may be able to receive a settlement check or award for the damages that they suffered when the government expose them to numerous toxic chemicals. You have a limited amount of time to file a claim, and you must contact an experienced attorney to help maximize your financial compensation.
Exposure to toxic substances at Camp Lejeune has caused veterans and their family members to develop a number of serious health conditions. The Veterans Administration has designated eight illnesses that are presumed to come from exposure to toxic Camp Lejeune water. Many of these conditions are some form of cancer. The prolonged presence of toxins in the body has caused people to develop numerous forms of organ cancer.
Common Types of Organ Cancers Among Camp Lejeune Victims
Here are some of the types of organ cancers that have been associated with contaminated Camp Lejeune water:
- Liver
- Kidney
- Pancreatic
- Bladder
- prostate
- Thyroid cancer
- Intestinal cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- cervical cancer
- Colon cancer
- Brain cancer
Three of these cancers are on the list of presumed illnesses. Many of these cancers are deadly and have very low survival rates. For example, the 5-year survival rate of the most common form of pancreatic cancer is less than 10%. In many cases, your family is reading this after you have lost a loved one many years ago. Nonetheless, you can still receive financial compensation for your loss.
Presumptive Camp Lejeune water contamination medical conditions
Below is a list of the 8 diseases / conditions / cancers that are presumed to be caused by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune:
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Parkinson’s disease
Hazardous Chemicals in the Camp Lejeune Water
In order to understand why exposure to these toxic substances caused these cancers, one must know how hazardous toxins impact the body. There were four hazardous chemicals found in the testing of Camp Lejeune water. These substances are:
- Trichloroethylene (TCE),
- Tetrachloroethylene (PCE),
- Vinyl chloride (VC) and
- Benzene
How Toxic Water Can Cause Cancer
These toxins build up in the body over time. Even though the kidneys may scrub some of them from the body, the toxic chemicals are in constant contact with the body’s internal organs. This is true from the time that they are ingested through the esophagus and stored in the body’s bladder in the urine.
Water impacts and affects practically every single one of the body’s functions. Not only does it provide nourishment, but it also aids in the digestive process. After a human drinks water, it diffuses throughout the rest of the body. Any toxic substances in the water will build up where they travel in the body.
Studies Have Shown a Linkage Between Camp Lejeune Water and Cancer
Numerous scientific Studies have backed up these claims. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) performed a retrospective study analyzing the morbidity and illnesses in Camp Lejeune veterans. The ATSDR found linkages between TCE and PCE exposure and bladder and kidney cancer.
There are numerous studies that have looked at the hazardous effects of Camp Lejeune water. One study compared the mortality rate of people who spent time at Camp Lejeune versus those who spent time at Camp Pendleton, another Marine Corps Base. The study found that the mortality rate at Camp Lejeune was 1.3 times that at Camp Pendleton. In another study, the odds ratios for kidney cancer at Camp Lejeune were greater than 1.5.
These types of cancers are among the most serious illnesses suffered by Camp Lejeune veterans. The five-year survival rate for liver cancer is approximately 20%. The survival rate for pancreatic cancer is even lower. Even when one survives cancer, they suffer a number of health impacts and effects on the rest of their life.
Damages in a Camp Lejeune Lawsuit
They may suffer the following damages:
- Lost wages for the time that they missed from work because of their illness and treatments
- Pain and suffering due to the physical discomfort and mental anguish of their condition
- Medical expenses for cancer treatments and surgery
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Given the serious nature of these illnesses and the high rates of fatality, many of these lawsuits will be filed as wrongful death claims. When a family loses a loved one to someone else’s wrongful actions, they have the legal right to be paid back for their damages that they suffer. In a wrongful death case, a family could be entitled to:
- The wages that their loved one could have earned
- The loss of their close relationship with their loved one
- Grief and Trauma that a family suffers when they lose someone close in a wrongful manner
Families may also recover for the ordeal that their loved one endured between the time of their illness and their death.
How Much Your Camp Lejeune Claim May Be Worth
Clients are asking us how much they may be able to get for Camp Lejeune organ cancer claims. This is a difficult question to answer on the spot. The government would likely consider the unique circumstances of the claimant and their family when evaluating how much it may offer in a settlement. However, here are some of the guideposts from other mass tort cases that involve cancer.
Many mass tort claims for cancer involve payouts of roughly $250,000 – $500,000. In some cases, victims and their families have received up to $1 million. It is difficult to know now how the government will treat these cases when evaluating the claims. One certainty is that the government cannot simply dictate to you the amount of compensation that you get for your claim. If the government will not offer you enough money in a settlement, you have the legal right to take your case to federal court in North Carolina. An experienced Camp Lejeune attorney can help you evaluate the settlement offer in front of you (if you receive one) and respond to the government.
Types of cancers caused by the Camp Lejeune contaminated water:
- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer (men and women)
- Bile duct cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Kidney cancer
- Leukemia
- Liver Cancer
- Lung cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Prostate cancer
- Rectal cancer
- Soft tissue cancer
- tongue cancer
- throat cancer
Bladder Cancer linked to Camp lejeune water
Bladder cancer is a form of cancer which begins in the ceel contained in the bladder.Bladder cancer can be treatable however There is a high rate of recurrence. Camp Lejeune contaminated water victims diagnosed with Bladder cancer will require follow up testing for numerous years after medical care.
Bladder Cancer: Signs and Symptoms
- “Blood or blood clots in the urine.
- Pain or burning sensation during urination.
- Frequent urination.
- Feeling the need to urinate many times throughout the night.
- Feeling the need to urinate, but not being able to pass urine.
- Lower back pain on 1 side of the body.” Cancer.net
Kidney Cancer caused by Toxic water at Camp lejeune
Kidney cancer is a presumptive condition presumptively linked to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune marine base in North Carolina. “Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer starts in the kidney, it is called kidney and renal pelvis cancer.”CDC
The ATSDR mortality study determined that residents and workers who drank the Lejeune water had a greater rate of kidney cancer as well as kidney disease as opposed to another control group. The ATSDR research determined causation from the Lejeune H2o and kidney cancer / kidney disease.
Liver Cancer linked to Lejeune toxic water
“Liver cancer is cancer that begins in the cells of your liver. Your liver is a football-sized organ that sits in the upper right portion of your abdomen, beneath your diaphragm and above your stomach. Several types of cancer can form in the liver. The most common type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma, which begins in the main type of liver cell (hepatocyte). Other types of liver cancer, such as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and hepatoblastoma, are much less common.” Mayo Clinic
You have the legal right to negotiate. In other words, you do not have to take what you are offered simply because the government offered it. The government may be as bad as any insurance company when they are evaluating and paying a claim. They may make a low settlement offer in the hopes that you may not know what your claim is worth. When you hire an experienced attorney, you will know the value of your claim and how to fight for more money if necessary.
It is essential that you contact an experienced attorney today. You are right to file a claim lasts only through August 2024. It may take some time to both file the claim and negotiate the proper amount of compensation with the federal government. It is better that you begin the legal process as soon as possible.