They may have consumed water contaminated with compounds linked to birth defects and childhood cancer such as leukemia. Some drinking water wells in operation at Camp Lejeune prior to 1985 were found to be contaminated with trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene used as degreasers and dry-cleaning solvents. The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is trying to find women who were pregnant while living in Camp Lejeune housing from 1968 to 1985 to participate in a survey. Worldwide, occupational risks to women are still unrecognized and uncontrolled. Miscarriages, birth defects, infertility and small babies have been attributed to chemical exposure at work.
Breast cancer is another key indicator of contaminants in the workplace.
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 1999, some 175,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. In the year 2000, approximately 43,300 died from the disease. Many health professionals and environmentalists maintain that the increase in breast cancer rates is due to environmental influences. Chlorine-based compounds such as those used in the manufacture of plastics, pesticides and paper bleaching are key factors in malignant tumors.