A cover-up of one of the worst environmental disasters in the
history of the United States took place at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
from 1957 to 1987. An estimated one million Marines and families were
exposed to multiple sources of unregulated chemicals discovered in base
drinking water systems. One specific chemical was benzene, a gasoline
additive, which is a carcinogen known to cause cancer. One point one
million gallons of gasoline leaked into the drinking water. This has
been the subject of at least three congressional hearings over the last
few years. Numerous documents containing explosive information have been
unearthed.
Another chemical was Trichloroethylene (TCE), a
chlorinated solvent in fire extinguishers, aerosol propellants,
degreasers, cleaning solutions, paint thinners, pesticides, and glues -
to name a few.
Who took on the Defense Department,
Congress, and powerful special interests on Capitol Hill to expose this
needless atrocity?
How has one Marine survived for 30 years
with a diagnosis of renal failure, kidney dialysis, congestive heart
failure, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and various other catastrophic
illnesses from his exposure?
In the words of one news
reporter, "He was getting ready to fight battles overseas and never
dreamed his real fight would come from the water. We were drinking it,
cooking in it, bathing in it and just absorbing it through the
body."
Eyewitnessed is inspirational, motivational, and
informational - with a tiny bit of humor. Follow one African-American
family in this unending saga - coping as victims of the Camp Lejeune
contaminated water cover-up.