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Press Release: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR) study article "Mortality study of civilian employees exposed to contaminated drinking water at USMC Base Camp Lejeune: a retrospective cohort study" has been released
Aug. 14, 2014

United States Marine Corps Media Branch
Capt Maureen Krebs

HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS - ATSDR’s "Mortality study of civilian employees exposed to contaminated drinking water at USMC Base Camp Lejeune: a retrospective cohort study" journal article was published online yesterday.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether potential exposures to the drinking water contaminants at Camp Lejeune are associated with increased risk of death from specific cancers and other chronic diseases among civilian workers employed at the base. The study evaluated specific causes of death in 4,647 full-time workers who were employed at Camp Lejeune during 1973-1985. ATSDR also evaluated a comparison group of 4,690 full-time workers who were employed at Camp Pendleton during 1973-1985 but were not employed at Camp Lejeune during this period. The Camp Pendleton workers were not exposed to contaminated drinking water.

The Provisional PDF and ATSDR’s factsheet that include results of the study can be viewed here: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/civilianmortalitystudy.html

For more information about this and other studies being conducted by ATSDR, visit http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/ or call (800) 232-4636.

The Camp Lejeune historic drinking water issue is an important concern for our Marine Corps family. Some of our Marine family members have experienced tragic health issues they believe are associated with water they drank or used in the past at Camp Lejeune. Our goal is to use the best available science in an effort to provide our Marine Corps family members the answers they deserve and keep them updated as new information becomes available. Since 1991 we have supported scientific and public health organizations that are studying these issues. We continue to work diligently to identify and notify individuals who, in the past, may have been exposed to the chemicals in drinking water. For more information, or to register to receive information as future studies are released, please see: www.marines.mil/clwater

Individuals that have a medical condition that they believe may be related to the historic drinking water at Camp Lejeune should visit their health care provider. Veterans and their family members are encouraged to visit the Department of Veterans Affairs website, http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/camp-lejeune, to learn more about health care benefits provided pursuant to the “Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012.”

The drinking water at Camp Lejeune currently meets all government drinking water standards and is tested more often than required. For Camp Lejeune’s annual water quality reports, please see: http://www.lejeune.marines.mil/OfficesStaff/EnvironmentalMgmt/AnnualReports.aspx

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