Hagan Statement On ATSDR Report Detailing Ground Water Contamination At Camp Lejeune

Press Release

United States Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) today issued a statement on the new Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) report detailing ground water contamination at Camp Lejeune. The report confirms that significant concentrations of benzene, PCE (tetrachloroethylene), TCE (trichloroethylene), and vinyl chloride had been detected in water-supply wells and in drinking water from Hadnot Point and Holcomb Boulevard water treatment plants on the base. The ATSDR report is the first in a series focusing on the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

"This groundbreaking report provides scientific evidence to verify what our Camp Lejeune families have known for a long time-that the water on base was contaminated with harmful chemicals," Hagan said. "These studies are critical to getting the answers our former Camp Lejeune families deserve, and I am committed to ensuring that ATSDR has the resources and cooperation to complete the reports in a timely manner."

The 1997 public health assessment by the ATSDR stated that Marines and their families faced little or no cancer risk from drinking and bathing in ground water at Camp Lejeune that was chemically-tainted by TCE and PCE. However, last year ATSDR, which is a scientific research agency under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said it could no longer stand by parts of its assessment due to data inaccuracies and the omission of other contaminants, such as benzene.

Senators Hagan and Richard Burr (R-NC) included a key amendment in this year's Defense Authorization Bill that requires the Navy to assist the ATSDR in completing the new reports. Hagan also included a provision that prevents the Navy from disposing of water contamination claims before the new ATSDR studies are completed. The full Senate must still consider the Defense Authorization bill.

Source