Camp Lejeune Water Contamination and Contamination Sites

Water supplies at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC were contaminated with several volatile organic compounds from as early as 1953 until 1987.

The source of the contamination includes solvents from a nearby, off-base dry cleaning company, from on-base units using chemicals to clean military equipment, and leaks from underground fuel storage tanks.

Three water distribution plants were found to have supplied this contaminated water to the majority of family housing units on base that contained unsafe levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Information about these water treatment plants is provided below.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a volatile, colorless liquid organic chemical. TCE does not occur naturally and is created by chemical synthesis. It is used primarily to make refrigerants and other hydrofluorocarbons and as a degreasing solvent for metal equipment. TCE is also used in some household products, such as cleaning wipes, aerosol cleaning products, tool cleaners, paint removers, spray adhesives, carpet cleaners and spot removers. Commercial dry cleaners also use trichloroethylene as a spot remover. TCE was used extensively by the US Military to degrease equipment.

Prolonged or repeated exposure of trichloroethylene causes kidney cancer and scientific evidence suggests that it may also cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma and liver cancer.

Tetrachloroethene is a manufactured chemical that is widely used in the dry-cleaning of fabrics, including clothes. It is also used for degreasing metal parts and in manufacturing other chemicals. Tetrachloroethene is found in consumer products, including some paint and spot removers, water repellents, brake and wood cleaners, glues, and suede protectors. Other names for tetrachloroethylene include PERC, tetrachloroethene, perchloroethylene, and PCE.

PERC is a nonflammable, colorless liquid at room temperature. It readily evaporates into air and has an ether-like odor.

Exposure to PERC has been linked to bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas that burns easily. It does not occur naturally and must be produced industrially for its commercial uses. Vinyl chloride is used primarily to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC); PVC is used to make a variety of plastic products, including pipes, wire and cable coatings, and packaging materials. Vinyl chloride is also produced as a combustion product in tobacco smoke.

Vinyl chloride exposure is associated with an increased risk of a rare form of liver cancer (hepatic angiosarcoma), as well as lung cancers, lymphoma, and leukemia.

Benzene is a colorless or light-yellow liquid chemical at room temperature. It is used primarily as a solvent in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, as a starting material and an intermediate in the synthesis of numerous chemicals, and in gasoline. Benzene is produced by both natural and man-made processes. It is a natural component of crude oil, which is the main source of benzene produced today. Other natural sources include gas emissions from volcanoes and forest fires. Benzene may be found in glues, adhesives, cleaning products, and paint strippers.

Exposure to benzene increases the risk of developing leukemia and other blood disorders.

1,2-Dichloroethylene is also called 1,2- Dichloroethene. It is a highly flammable, colorless liquid with a sharp, harsh odor. You can smell very small amounts of 1,2-dichloroethylene in air (beginning at a level of about 17 parts per million or ppm). There are two forms of 1,2-dichloroethylene; one form is called cis-1,2-dichloroethene and the other is called trans-1,2-dichloroethene. Sometimes both forms are present as a mixture. 1,2- Dichloroethylene is used most often to produce solvents and in chemical mixtures.