The US Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, ATSDR, in Atlanta Georgia, has recently released tragic news. It reports contamination in the drinking water at the US Marine Corp base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, has resulted in elevated rates of disease for the military and civilian personnel who worked on the base from 1973 to 1985.
In 1982, the Marine Corps became aware that the drinking water at the base was contaminated with volatile organic compounds, VOCs. The source of the water was provided from two water treatment plants located on the base. The water supply wells were poisoned through industrial area spills, waste disposal sites, and underground storage tanks that were leaking contaminates.
Perchloroethylene, or tetrachloroethylene, PCE, in the water from the Tarawa Terrace water treatment plant developed as a result of waste disposal practices at an off-base dry cleaning business -- ABC One-Hour Cleaners. In addition, Hadnot Point water treatment plant water was specifically contaminated with trichloroethylene, TCE, and degradation products trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, DCE, vinyl chloride, as well as PCE and benzene.
ATSDR said it used data analysis and modeling approach to reconstruct historical contaminant concentrations" to estimate the concentration levels of PCE, finding that between 1957 and 1987 those levels exceeded the current EPA maximum contaminant level" in the water from Tarawa Terrace. Then the agency approached the assessment phase for potential adverse human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances in the environment," and found a higher risk of death for military and civilian workers at Camp Lejeune.
The research studied the deaths of 4,647 civilian workers from Camp Lejeune who were employed full-time -- compared to workers who worked at another base that did not have contaminated water, Camp Pendleton, California -- from 1973 to 1985. The study found the employees at Camp Lejeune faced health risks due to contaminated water had higher mortality rates -- were at an elevated risk to develop kidney cancer, leukemia, prostate cancer, rectal cancer, and Parkinson's disease."
Similar findings on military personnel were also published by ATSDR, stating, among Marines and Navy personnel at Camp Lejeune several cancers with elevated risk among military personnel in that study were also elevated among the civilian employees."
Those interested can learn more at http://www.biomazingremedies.com/toxic-drinking-water.
