Federal agency to discuss Camp Lejeune health activities at public meetings on January 21

Jacksonville, North Carolina

Wednesday, January 04, 2017

(Atlanta)-- The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) invites the public to hear from the scientists who conducted public health activities to understand the impact of exposure to contaminated drinking water at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The scientists will discuss these public health activities during a 5 p.m. special session, followed by a public meeting at 6 p.m. on January 21, 2017, in Jacksonville, NC. The Community Assistance Panel (CAP) meeting also will take place on January 21 at 9:00 a.m.; that meeting is also open to the public. Representatives from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) will be present at the meetings to answer questions about the VA programs for those exposed at Camp Lejeune.

ATSDR has published the results of several public health activities that describe the extent of the drinking water contamination at Camp Lejeune. The completed studies have linked exposures to the drinking water with a number of diseases and health conditions, including multiple cancers, preterm births, and neural tube defects. U.S. Marine Corps and Navy personnel, their families, and civilian employees who worked at the base participated in the studies.

All meetings will be held at:

Courtyard Jacksonville, NC
5046 Henderson Drive
Jacksonville, NC 28546
(910) 937-3300
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/oajcy-courtyard-jacksonville/

Community Assistance Panel Meeting: January 21, 2017 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Special Session: January 21, 2017 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Public Meeting: January 21, 2017 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

For those not able to attend the meeting in person, a live stream of the meetings will be available for viewing via computer. A link to the live stream will be available at: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/index.html.

Background: The contamination of drinking water at Camp Lejeune started in the early 1950s and ended in 1985 when highly contaminated water wells were removed from service. The water was contaminated with tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), benzene, 1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE) and vinyl chloride. Benzene and TCE are known human carcinogens, and PCE is considered a likely human carcinogen. A privately owned dry cleaner next to Camp Lejeune as well as base activities that released fuel and chlorinated solvents into the environment were identified as the sources of the contamination.

For meeting updates and more information about the health studies and other work done by ATSDR at Camp Lejeune, visit https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/index.html

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