In 1982, dangerous chemicals were found in the water supply at a North Carolina facility, impacting an estimated million people with illnesses like kidney cancer, bladder cancer, and leukemia between 1953 and 1987. The US Navy has received over 546,500 claims for compensation related to this contamination, with more expected after duplicates are removed.
Administrative claims had to be filed by an August 10 deadline for plaintiffs to be eligible for compensation under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. The Navy is reviewing each claim to resolve them fairly and quickly. More than 2,000 lawsuits have been filed in a federal court by plaintiffs whose claims were not resolved administratively, with trials possibly starting next year.
If all administrative claims go to trial, this case would become the largest claim to damages since the 3M earplugs scandal. 3M faced claims for hearing loss from troops who used their equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan, leading to a $6.01 billion settlement last year.