Thanks to visit codestin.com
Credit goes to www.scribd.com

Scribd
Upload
18 views1 page

Topic Summary

The document discusses the groundwater contamination at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where military and civilian personnel were exposed to toxic substances from 1953 to 1987. Over 70 chemicals, primarily perchloroethylene and trichloroethylene, infiltrated the drinking water supply, leading to health risks that were largely ignored or covered up by officials. The responsibility for the contamination remains disputed due to the involvement of multiple sources of pollutants.

Uploaded by

alexevinger352
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
18 views1 page

Topic Summary

The document discusses the groundwater contamination at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where military and civilian personnel were exposed to toxic substances from 1953 to 1987. Over 70 chemicals, primarily perchloroethylene and trichloroethylene, infiltrated the drinking water supply, leading to health risks that were largely ignored or covered up by officials. The responsibility for the contamination remains disputed due to the involvement of multiple sources of pollutants.

Uploaded by

alexevinger352
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

The topic I would like to present is the contamination of groundwater at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville,

North Carolina. This is an example of pollutants entering the water supply and causing direct harm.
Water sampling and testing played a key part in the ongoing resolution of this incident.

Between 1953 and 1987, military and civilian personnel living on or near the Marine Corps’ Camp
Lejeune were exposed to several toxic substances. The volatile organic compounds perchloroethylene
and trichloroethylene were the main issues, but over 70 different chemicals have been identified. These
chemicals had infiltrated the drinking water supply through the aquifer and were unknowingly
consumed by the locals.

Despite warnings by multiple individuals, the contaminated water continued to be used for decades
after the problem was first discovered. One of the most terrible facets of this case is how the
contamination was either covered up or considered unimportant by both military and state officials.
Reports that were meant to assess the cancer risk associated with the contaminated water omitted the
presence of benzene for example.

Who is ultimately held responsible for the contamination is still argued by some. In fact, because of the
plethora of chemical pollutants found it is likely that no one group can be conclusively held at fault. For
instance while the benzene likely came from the over 800,000 gallons of fuel leaked from military
holding tanks, the perchloroethylene has been attributed to an off-base drycleaning company.

You might also like