The Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits represent one of the largest and most complex toxic exposure legal battles in U.S. history, but they are likely just the beginning of a broader wave of toxic military lawsuits. The Camp Lejeune case involves claims from hundreds of thousands of people—military personnel, their families, and civilian workers—who were exposed to highly contaminated drinking water at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987. This exposure has been linked to a wide range of serious health problems, including various cancers, Parkinson’s disease, kidney and liver disorders, autoimmune diseases, birth defects, and miscarriages.
The contamination was caused by industrial solvents, dry cleaning chemicals, underground storage tank leaks, and waste disposal practices that introduced over 70 toxic chemicals into the water supply at levels hundreds to thousands of times above current safety standards. Despite early testing in the 1980s that revealed the contamination, the worst wells remained in use for years, and the military leadership failed to adequately warn or protect those living and working on the base. This negligence led to decades of suffering and illness among those exposed.
In response to this crisis, the U.S. government passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, which opened the door for victims to sue the federal government for damages related to their exposure. This law removed many previous legal barriers, lowered the burden of proof for plaintiffs, and allowed for compensation not only for veterans but also for family members and civilian workers. Over 400,000 claims have been filed, making it one of the largest mass torts in U.S. history. However, the litigation process has been slow and complex, with only a small number of “bellwether” cases selected for early trials to help establish legal precedents. These cases focus on specific diseases strongly linked to the contamination, such as bladder cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and Parkinson’s disease.
The sheer scale and complexity of the Camp Lejeune lawsuits highlight systemic issues in how toxic exposures on military bases are handled and compensated. The fact that it took decades for the government to acknowledge and address the contamination—and that many victims are still waiting for justice—raises concerns about other military sites where toxic exposures may have occurred but remain unaddressed or underreported.
Indeed, Camp Lejeune is likely just the start of a broader reckoning with toxic military exposures. Across the United State
