New US Legislation In Force To Help Those Who Lived Or Worked At North Carolina Base Between 1953 And 1987

Specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are calling on UK military personnel, civil contract workers and their families who were stationed at a US Marine Corps base camp in North Carolina to come forward after new legislation came into force.

It comes after legal experts raised concerns that thousands of UK armed forces personnel and their families could have been affected by contaminated water but unaware that they could lodge a legal claim.

Camp LeJeune is a 246-square mile military training facility in Jacksonville, where thousands of UK armed forces members have been stationed. It’s believed these people could have been exposed to water contaminated with industrial solvents, benzene and other chemicals, and gone on to develop serious conditions.

The conditions caused by exposure to the contaminated water could include cancers such as leukaemia, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, oesophageal cancer, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma and other bone marrow cancers.

Other conditions include neurobehavioral effects, Parkinson’s disease, aplastic anaemia, the liver condition hepatic steatosis, kidney problems such as renal toxicity and scleroderma, a rare condition which results in in hard, thickened areas of skin and sometimes problems with internal organs and blood vessels.

It is also possible that people could have suffered miscarriages and infertility.

The US government has now set up a scheme to support those who suffered illness as a result of exposure between 1 August, 1953, and 31 December, 1987, on the basis of the following criteria –

• Those who were at Camp LeJeune for at least 30 cumulative days during the dates;
• Have been diagnosed as suffering illness which was likely caused by exposure to the contaminated water; and
• Military personnel who didn’t receive a dishonourable discharge when separating from the military.

Currently, the scheme is asking those who were at the camp during the above time period and have been diagnosed with an illness, to come forward.

The aim of the scheme is to assist those who have suffered to access compensation to help fund the specialist care and therapies they now require.  Specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are now calling on anyone affected to come forward.  Those who may be eligible are military personnel and their family members, civilian workers who were sent to the camp and the family or beneficiaries of any former personnel who were at the camp but have subsequently passed away.

Expert Opinion

“The passing of the legislation last year now means that those who lived or worked at Camp LeJeune and have suffered illness as a result of exposure to water contamination can now make a claim for compensation.

There are strict timeframes that will apply to those who wish to make an application. My biggest concern is that there could be thousands of people out there who are unaware of their eligibility, and we want to ensure that anyone entitled to make a claim are aware of their ability to do so.” Andrew Buckham, Partner and Military Injury Lawyer

Expert Opinion

“Making a claim against a foreign government can be particularly daunting and it’s important that anybody affected by the water contamination at Camp LeJeune has access to specialist lawyers who have the contacts in the US to be in a position to put any claims forward.

We have one of the largest national teams of cross border personal injury litigators with vast experience of bringing claims against foreign corporations and governments. I also sit on the board of Governors for the American Association of Justice, an organisation dedicated to seeking justice on behalf of injured claimants in the US which will facilitate access to any updates on the scheme and opportunities to collaborate with specialists there.

We are also interested in working with US attorneys in assisting the scheme organisers to provide a fair and efficient system to those making a claim.” Cheryl Palmer-Hughes, Partner and International Serious Injury Lawyer

Any claims must be made before 10 August 2024.

Find out more on Camp LeJeune and how to claim

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