Camp Lejeune

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  Water from the Tarawa Terrace Treatment Plant and the Hadnot Point Treatment Plant were found to be contaminated primarily by two toxic chemicals.

The Tarawa Terrace Treatment Plant was contaminated by perchloroethylene (PCE), a colorless liquid most commonly used for dry cleaning. The source of this contamination was found to be the waste disposal practices of an off-base dry cleaning company. The PCE levels at the Tarawa Terrace Treatment Plant highly exceeded current standards between November 1957 and February 1987, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry.

At the Hadnot Point Treatment Plant, the water was contaminated by trichloroethylene (TCE), a volatile anesthetic. Underground storage tank leaks, industrial area spills and water disposal sites are believed to have been the sources of the TCE contamination.

• Liver cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Breast cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Leukemia
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Liver disease
• Miscarriages
• Birth defects

In September 2012, 12 pounds of elemental mercury were found at the Hadnot Point Water Treatment Plant at Camp Lejeune. The water plant was offline for several weeks to clean up the mercury.

Officials believe that the possible source of the mercury contamination was water pressure meters containing elemental mercury that were removed from the plant in the 1980s.

• Coughing, sore throat
• Nausea, vomiting
• Vision problems
• A metallic taste in the mouth
• Increase in blood pressure

 Unfortunately, pregnant women and new mothers can pass mercury on to their unborn and newborn children. Young children are also more likely to become exposed to mercury vapors as they breathe faster and have smaller lungs than adults.