Since the early 1900s, the US Army’s reckless use and negligent disposal of chemical hazards whose long-term risks weren’t sufficiently understood have inadvertently affected countless service members. In notorious instances such as North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, toxic substances leached into the base’s drinking water sources for over 30 years until the appalling extent of the issue was uncovered.
During the heyday of contamination (1953 – 1987), close to 1 million troops and civilians who served, lived, and worked on Camp Lejeune were unintentionally exposed to the base’s tainted water. Among the detected hazards were over 60 toxins exceeding safety levels by 240 – 3,400 times, including carcinogens like trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), benzene, and vinyl chloride.